SEA to Fund Study of Sewage-related Pollution During the Winter Months by Columbia University Scientists

The Surfers Environmental Alliance in New Jersey has funded a scientific study which seeks to determine the extent of contamination of recreational ocean waters during the winter by sewage-related bacteria. Preliminary studies by Columbia University scientists Kevin O'Driscoll, Ph.D. and Ray Sambrotto, Ph.D. have suggested that levels of enterococcus, a fecal indicator strain of bacteria may exceed public health limits during the winter months. The State of NJ tests for levels of enterococcus between May and September, and uses these levels as a guide for beach closures in the interest of preventing outbreaks of disease in people using the recreational beaches of NJ.   SEA funds will be designated to test the levels of enterococcus bacteria along the coastline of Monmouth County and to determine the extent of contamination of ocean waters with sewage-related pollution during the tourist “off-season.”   Surfers commonly use these waters during the months of October through April when seasonal storms frequently create more consistent and larger surf than during the summer months. The advent of modern wetsuit technology has made it possible for surfers to remain in waters of about 40 degrees F for up to several hours at a time without becoming hypothermic, thus opening up the waves of winter for many surfers.   Illnesses, which could be related to exposures to human pathogens, are known to have occurred by surfers, however a clear epidemiological link between winter surfing and exposures to sewage are not definitive. It is hoped that this study will extend the knowledge base of the extent and source of sewage-related pollution in Monmouth County, NJ during the winter months.   The study will be performed at Columbia’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, a leading research institution where more than 200 scientists seek knowledge about the origin, evolution, and future of the natural world. The scope of research at the institution is global in scale, from the Earth’s interior to the outer atmosphere, including every continent and ocean. From global climate change to earthquakes, volcanoes, nonrenewable resources, environmental hazards and beyond, the Observatory’s fundamental challenge is to provide a rational basis for the difficult choices faced by humankind in the stewardship of this fragile planet.