Cowell Beach, west of the wharf
Tested by Santa Cruz County, usually every 7 days.
Taken 193 days ago. Results can take 1 to 3 weeks to be published, and many sites are tested less often in winter.
Every bacteria in this test: Total coliform 1,785 · E. coli 322 · Enterococcus 84. The grade follows the worst one against its own limit.
Grade C over 4 tests from Apr 15, 2026 to May 4, 2026. 1 was over the limit.
No recent test
The last test here was 193 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.
Enterococcus over time
- Monday, May 4, 2026Total coliform 1,785 · E. coli 322 · Enterococcus 84
- Monday, Apr 27, 2026Total coliform 7,701 · E. coli 216 · Enterococcus 201
- Monday, Apr 20, 2026Total coliform 1,850 · E. coli 134 · Enterococcus 740.45 in of rain in the 3 days before
- Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026Total coliform 2,755 · E. coli 331 · Enterococcus 52
- Monday, Mar 16, 2026Total coliform 1,019 · E. coli 73 · Enterococcus 10
- Monday, Mar 9, 2026Total coliform 2,014 · E. coli 313 · Enterococcus 85
- Tuesday, May 21, 2024Total coliform 1,354 · E. coli 52 · Enterococcus 10
- Monday, May 6, 2024Total coliform 1,723 · E. coli 62 · Enterococcus 520.68 in of rain in the 3 days before
- Tuesday, Apr 30, 2024Total coliform 4,884 · E. coli 135 · Enterococcus 278
- Tuesday, Apr 23, 2024Total coliform 6,131 · E. coli 262 · Enterococcus 374
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 (Watsonville). Limits: California Code of Regulations, Title 17, Section 7958.