The Blue Water Task Force is Surfrider’s volunteer water quality monitoring program that provides critical water quality information to protect public health at the beach. Surfrider chapters use this program to raise awareness of local pollution problems and to bring together communities to implement solutions.

Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) labs measure fecal indicator bacteria levels in recreational waters and compare them to water quality standards set to protect public health. Chapter-run BWTF programs fill in the gaps and extend the coverage of agency-run beach monitoring programs by sampling ocean and bay beaches, estuaries and potential freshwater sources of pollution such as stormwater outlets, rivers and creeks that discharge onto the beach.

The Three Capes Chapter partners with Tillamook Estuaries Partnership to monitor recreational beaches. Surfrider Foundation volunteers collect water samples every other Wednesday for processing at Tillamook Estuaries Partnership's lab.

Our BWTF data augments the beach monitoring program conducted by Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and helps build community awareness of local pollution issues.

If you would like to be trained as a sampler, please contact Lisa at chair@threecapes.surfrider.org.