The Blue Water Task Force is the North Coast chapter’s flagship program - before there was an official chapter, volunteers have maintained a water quality lab on the north coast, and have been testing local water quality for over 20 years, with sampling at The Cove in Seaside beginning in 2004.
Surfrider’s Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) is a volunteer water quality sampling program that fills in critical gaps in the state-run sampling schedule. The state samples only a handful of beaches from mid-May to mid-September. Meanwhile, many popular surf and recreation spots go without monitoring and, critically, are unmonitored during the wet season when we typically see more “first flush” and sewer overflow events, which can impact the health of beach users. Through the BWTF, we’re able to identify recreation hotspots, pollution hotspots, or any other areas of importance, and sample the water quality year-round - keeping the public informed on where it’s safe to recreate.
Since last year, we’ve been looking for a new home for our lab, previously housed at Seaside High School under the fearless leadership of science teacher Doug Mitchell. We’re excited to announce the passing of the torch, with the lab officially moved into the classroom of science teacher Tim Roth at Neah-Kah-Nie High School! Tim was previously involved with the North Coast chapter’s BWTF lab when it was housed at Astoria High School, and when he moved back to the area eager to get involved with the program again, it seemed a natural fit to move the lab into his new classroom. He’ll be doing the sampling with his students, and we’re looking forward to engaging a new cohort of youth in this community science program.
Check out this message from Tim:
“Happy Fall from Neah-Kah-Nie High School!
A bit about me to start. I grew up in Bend, Oregon, and have worked in education for many years, including six years with the Astoria School District, 11 years with the Sisters School District, and three years teaching overseas in Germany and Switzerland. My wife, Laura, and I are both certified teachers, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Surfrider again. Laura and I are also lifelong swimmers, we actually met while swimming together in college at Willamette University!
During my years at Astoria High School, I had the opportunity to partner with Charlie Plybon and Surfrider. I enjoyed the experience so much that I knew I wanted to be part of the program again.
Laura and I have two children: Mae, a sophomore at the University of Montana, and Hayden, a senior at the University of Oregon.
I have taught chemistry and biology for more than 15 years and have served my school districts in a variety of roles. I find great joy in teaching science and, especially, in helping students discover that they can be successful at it.
In my free time, I love to cook, play guitar, swim in any body of water I can find, surf, ski, trail run, compete in triathlons, and go backpacking. I have a deep love for nature and being outdoors. Wishing everyone an amazing fall! I look forward to hopefully meeting many of you in person soon.”
Given that this lab is now in new territory, we’ll be looking to add a few new sites to our sampling roster, and we’d like your input! Do you know of any pollution hotspots or problem areas in the Nehalem estuary, Nedonna, or Rockaway areas? This oftentimes is a pipe outfall on the beach. Other areas of interest would be recreational hotspots like surf breaks, popular beach walks, and creek outlets.
As we add sampling sites, we’ll also be looking for volunteers to collect water samples and a BWTF Program Coordinator to keep everyone organized. Training is provided!
Reach out to Kaia Hazard, Oregon Field Manager, at khazard@surfrider.org if you’re interested in learning more or getting involved! If there’s enough interest, we could organize a public meeting in Rockaway to connect the community with this program.