Seattle Chapter Blue Water Task Force

Blue Water Task Force

The Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) is the Surfrider Foundation's water quality monitoring, education and advocacy program.

BWTF was established with the following objectives:

1. to provide concerned citizens with the opportunity for hands-on involvement with an environmental problem solving effort;
2. to gather coastal water samples on a regular basis to determine pollution patterns in the near shore environment;
3. to raise public awareness regarding the extent and severity of coastal water pollution;
4. to use the data collected to bring polluters into compliance; and
5. to develop a model program that could influence national legislation and enforcement.

Check out our Results page.

Check out our in depth map of the BWTF Sampling Locations. - In-Depth Map

Click on the links below to find out about water testing in your local community.

In the Seattle chapter, our goal is to test the water quality at six recreational sites on a bi-weekly basis and to use the results of this testing to augment the pre-existing water testing by:

For more info on these programs, please click on their links. Once we get this program running, we are hoping to test 6 beaches. See our selected beaches.

We will be testing Discovery Park, Des Moines Marina city beach park, Myrtle Edwards Park, and Golden Gardens park for Enterococcus bacteria, the indicator that the EPA has determined most closely correlates with human health issues in marine waters. We will also be testing two freshwater sites, Pontiac Bay at Sand Point and Leschi Park, for coliforms and E.coli.

We are partnering with the University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences to do this water testing. The University has graciously provided the Blue Water Task Force with the use of lab space and training in lab procedures. In addition to taking water samples for the Blue Water Task Force program, we will be taking sand samples from the intertidal zone for University research on retention of pathogens in the environment. We are thrilled to have this opportunity for scientific collaboration, which will provide a more complete picture of the health of the beaches and waterways that are such a key part of life here in the Puget Sound region.

We have chosen these six pilot sites because of their recreational use by stand-up paddlers, kayakers, sailors, windsurfers, and kiteboarders. While these sites have been tested in the past and present by the county or state BEACH program, all of them are only tested in the summer months. We know that Seattle athletes don't let a little rain keep us out of the water, and we want to make sure that no gnarly bacteria do either!

Once we get this program running, we are hoping to test 6 beaches.

If you are interested in this program or for more information from us, please Email the Seattle Chapter

For News article related to BWTF, Check out our News Page.

We Need Volunteers

One of the keys to the success of this ongoing program is YOU! We need volunteer sample collectors and lab techs to insure that the BWTF program is successful for a long time to come. Even if you have only a short window of time to contribute to the program, now is the time to learn about the sampling process. Any amount of time you can give is the right amount. Help keep your local beach CLEAN!

To volunteer as a part of the Blue Water Task Force, please contact Seattle Surfrider.

Check out the PHOTOS of the equipment we raised money to buy.