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Home/Water Quality/Orange County
Water quality testing site · Orange County

Newport Bay: San Diego Crk @ Campus Dr

Tested by Orange County.

C
Latest test · Monday, Jul 13, 2026
Water quality C: Close to the limit

Taken 123 days ago. Results can take 1 to 3 weeks to be published, and many sites are tested less often in winter.

Enterococcus
60
per 100 mL
Safe limit
104
This test was 58% of the limit.
Usual here
—
Not enough tests in the past year to say.

Every bacteria in this test: Fecal coliform 150 · Enterococcus 60. The grade follows the worst one against its own limit.

C
Last 30 days

Grade C over 2 tests from Jul 6, 2026 to Jul 13, 2026. None were over the limit.

Can I go in?

No recent test

The last test here was 123 days ago, too long ago to say anything about the water today. Some sites are tested only in summer. Stay out for 72 hours after any rain of 0.2 in or more, and check the county's status before going in.

History

Enterococcus over time

30100Safe limit: 104Sunday, Sep 6, 2026: 0.59 in of rainThursday, Oct 22, 2026: 0.30 in of rainSunday, Oct 11, 2026: 0.25 in of rainMonday, Oct 12, 2026: 0.26 in of rainSaturday, Oct 10, 2026: 0.11 in of rainWednesday, Oct 21, 2026: 0.19 in of rainSunday, Nov 1, 2026: 0.28 in of rainSaturday, Oct 31, 2026: 0.13 in of rainAugOctDecFebAprJunAugOct
Rain of 0.2 in or more at the nearest airportsHover or tap a dot for its date and reading
Recent tests
  • C
    Monday, Jul 13, 2026
    Fecal coliform 150 · Enterococcus 60
  • B
    Monday, Jul 6, 2026
    Fecal coliform 50 · Enterococcus 50
What the numbers mean

Enterococcus and coliform bacteria live in the guts of people and animals. Health departments test for them because they travel with sewage, runoff and animal waste, so a high count is a warning that germs that do make people sick are likely in the water too. Clear water can still be contaminated: bacteria and viruses are too small to see.

San Diego County's DNA test (ddPCR) counts bacterial DNA instead of growing the bacteria in a lab, so it returns results the same day. Its numbers run higher than the older lab tests, which is why its safe limit is 1,413 rather than 104. The two are never compared on this page.

San Diego County's health department says swimming in water under an advisory can cause stomach illness, such as diarrhea and vomiting, and skin and ear infections. The EPA's national swimming guidelines are set at a level where about 32 to 36 of every 1,000 swimmers would get a stomach illness. A study of San Diego surfers found about 12 extra stomach-illness cases per 1,000 in wet weather, highest during rain and the day after, and back near normal 3 days later.

The grade is Nautical Nick's, built on the official limits: A is a quarter of the limit or less, B half or less, C under the limit, D over it, and F more than 10 times over. When a county posts an advisory or closes a beach, its sign is the final word.

Sources: California State Water Board beach test results; San Diego County Department of Environmental Health sample reports; Surfrider Foundation Blue Water Task Force; National Weather Service daily rain totals via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet (Fullerton Municipal, Santa Ana/Jon-Wayne). Limits: California Code of Regulations, Title 17, Section 7958.