The ocean covers over 70% of the planet, as such, its important to give it the highlight it deserves.

Today is World Oceans Day and this year’s theme  is “The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods.” Here in Orange County we have our pick of beaches, all the way from Seal Beach to Laguna Beach. To ensure the beach is safe for the marine life and the people that visit it, OC San has maintained an extensive ocean monitoring program for over 40 years. OC San collects and treats over 180 million gallons of wastewater every single day. To make sure the water disposed of in the Pacific Ocean is safe, OC San scientists get busy conducting over 90,000 tests a year to make sure that the ocean is safe for swimming, fish are safe to eat, and that animal populations are healthy. We do this through a tri-phase ocean monitoring program. The core phase consists of conducting marine population assessments (fish and invertebrates), fish tissue contaminant analysis (seafood safety), checking the ocean bottom (mud) for chemical contaminants, water quality assessments, and wastewater and sediment toxicity testing. The program’s results are published each year in the Marine Monitoring Annual Report. The reports are provided to regulators, the scientific community, and the public.

Learn more about what OC San does to protect the ocean by visiting the Ocean Monitoring page.