Beach Water Test Results May Come in Hours, Not Days

North County Times- Surfers, swimmers and sun seekers could find out much faster whether sea water at their favorite beaches is contaminated with harmful bacteria under legislation authored by a local congressman and passed by the House late Wednesday.

Under an amendment offered by Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Solana Beach, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would be required to conduct a study aimed at accelerating the delivery of bacteria test results.

It can take three days for results to come in. Under Bilbray's proposed switch from culture tests that have been used since 1986 to molecular testing, an assessment of coastal waters could be made in three hours, according to a news release.

The environmental agency would have to examine the benefits and disadvantages of molecular tests.

The bill now goes to the Senate.

"From the golden sands of California to the wispy shores of New England, this is a major victory for the nation's beaches," Bilbray said, in a prepared statement.

He added the amendment to legislation that would continue and expand through 2012 the Beaches Environmental and Coastal Health Act. The original legislation is something Bilbray introduced in 2000.

Since then, the number of beaches nationwide routinely tested for bacteria has tripled to about 3,500, Bilbray said.

The new bill also would increase funding available to cities to cover costs of water-quality monitoring from $30 million a year to $40 million. It also would require local governments to post test results on the Internet.

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