Rain Season
Significant rainstorms wash surface pollutants off the land, developed or not, and into either natural channels, like rivers or streams, or into storm drain systems which collect and direct run-off into coastal waters.

In Santa Cruz County most run-off eventually flows into our ocean, so water contact should be avoided for up to 72 hours following the ceasation of a "flushing" event. If it looks discolored, feels or smells wrong, use common sense and exit the water!

Dry Season
Common points of ocean pollution are the outfalls of coastal rivers, sloughs, or creeks. Pollution collects in these waters from the entire watershed and pollution often increases as the flow lessens in the summer, making such waters inadvisable for human contact at their ocean outfalls.

San Lorenzo River mouth at Santa Cruz Main Beach, Soquel Creek at Capitola Beach, Aptos Creek at Rio Del Mar Beach, and the Pajaro River mouth in south County are permanently posted with high-bacterial advisements by the County of Santa Cruz Environmental Health Services.

Caution should be observed when recreating in the water down-coast or down-current from these sites. Likewise, don't let yourselves or your children play in the warm, shallow beach lagoons that so often show up when wave action dams-up the normal channel to the ocean in our dry season.