Question about water quality and rain

Discussion in 'Southern California' started by jasorod, Dec 12, 2012.

  1. jasorod

    jasorod Well-Known Member

    111
    Sep 9, 2012
    Hey,

    I'm planning a surf trip to La Jolla around Christmas, and was planning on spending my time at Scripps/Blacks. I'm noticing on the weather forecasts though that around three of the days I'll be saying there will have either rain, or be right after a rain event. I understand there are some water quality issues after rain in So Cal, but I was wondering, if there's been enough rain, does that matter anymore? Does the first good rain event basically "flush" the system? Or is it still advisable to not surf during or after it rains due to high bacteria levels, etc.? Just curious, as here on the East Coast we don't really worry about that stuff since it tends to rain pretty consistently throughout the year. I'd hate to travel all the way to SD and not get a chance to surf because of water quality issues.
     
  2. zach619

    zach619 Well-Known Member

    Jan 21, 2009
    Scripps is usually fine as far as run-off goes. There is a small drain pipe on the cement wall right on the north side of the pier that comes out from the UCSD campus, but there is minimal runoff there. As far as Blacks goes, you are fine there. There is only very minimal run-off at Blacks and most of it is just dirt and sand from La Jolla Farms neighborhood. With the deep water channel behind blacks, you will be fine. I have surfed there many times during and after rain over the past 10 years and never had an issue.

    Places to Avoid: Ocean Beach, from North Sunset Cliffs to the OB Jetty. The San Diego rivermouth empties right out at the Jetty/Dog Beach. There is the worst runoff in the county, as junk and bacteria that have collected in the mostly dry riverbed will light up and runoff into the ocean.... The current travels south out of the river mouth, so OB is always slightly contaminated after the rain....

    If you surf sunset cliffs, MAKE SURE to check the county website and the Union Tribune website... When heavy rain hits San Diego, the county ILLEGALLY will just open the sewage pipe at Sunset Cliffs for hours at a time to prevent Debris from catching in the sewage plant and shutting the whole place down... They get a hefty fine, but when they open that pipe, it sits on the Sea Floor from The south end of the Penninsula and empties 4 miles out, but it litterally can dump MILLIONS of gallons of raw sewage on the cliffs within hours....

    Other than that, Mission Beach is usually clean because its flat with no hillsides behind it and the SD River current takes all the poop to OB.

    La Jolla Reefs are usually OK too. Just avoid rivermouths up in North County... Avoid Del Mar, it has runoff issues as well as Carslbad...

    Like I said, Blacks is the place to go... Deep water channel with mostly natural runoff. Not a ton of oil and gunk.

    Cheers. Enjoy... Catch a few for me on the South Peak... PLEASE!
     

  3. zach619

    zach619 Well-Known Member

    Jan 21, 2009
    Ohh, and never, ever, ever ever ever ever ever surf IB after it rains... EVER!!!! NEVER NEVER NEVER..... Just trust me on that one... NEVER. I would give it like 2 weeks after rain down there.... And obviously avoid the slough.
     
  4. jasorod

    jasorod Well-Known Member

    111
    Sep 9, 2012
    Great, thanks for the info! ... Hopefully it won't rain though :D
     
  5. element303

    element303 Member

    8
    Dec 4, 2012
    Why? Never heard of anything like that where I live.
     
  6. old's cool

    old's cool Member

    11
    Dec 17, 2012

    LaJolla like the OP'er said does not get as much runoff, never had a problem here. Other spots to watch out for - Tourmaline in PB, and Cardiff, and the others mentioned. Cardiff got both me and my friend sick a few years back, so I know it was the funky water after a rain (Cardiff is at the San Elijo rivermouth). I surfed Scripps yesterday (after on and off two days rain, and no problems), but if possible I follow the 72 hour rule, esp. down at OB, Cardiff or PB. Good luck.

    -Old's cool
     
  7. headrow

    headrow Well-Known Member

    144
    Sep 2, 2007
    My Father In Law still eats the Pismo clams down there! He’s got some plywood squares with 3” sheet metal screws drilled through ‘em that he glued to an old pair of Chucks. He stomps around after surfing looking for ‘em. Brings a couple home and either fries them up or makes ceviche. Then he gets all bent out of shape that no one else will eat any. “I’ve been eating them my whole life. Never did me any harm.” They’re bi-valves from the TJ River! Dinner at the in-laws can be a gamble sometimes.[/QUOTE]

    Ha ha. I visited my in-laws in France two Christmas' ago and my father-in-law served up some oysters on the halfshell that he dug up himself. Too bad my wife and I didn't know that the whole region knew not to eat the oysters because of contamination. Sickest I've ever been - hands down. Shtting the bed type sick. Probably should have been hospitalized. My stomach took 8 months to get back to normal. Father-in-law was immune to it, from eating them his whole life. I still refuse to eat anything he's been associated with.