Teach & Test: A Blue Water Task Force Initiative

As part of Surfrider’s Blue Water Task Force initiative, our student-centered Teach & Test program monitors ocean water bacteria levels at local beaches to protect public health while at the beach. 

The goal of the program is to involve the local community and raise awareness of the environmental challenges we confront at our South Bay beaches. By doing so we hope to reduce our environmental impacts and improve the quality of our community. 

Students participating in our Teach & Test Program monitor ocean water bacteria levels (Enterococcus) at our local beaches. Throughout the school year, students coordinate with dedicated Surfrider activists to collect water samples from various South Bay beach locations and the Ballona Wetlands.

The water samples are then analyzed by students at the Lab at Dive N’ Surf in Redondo Beach under the oversight of our experienced Teach and Test Coordinator. The Waste Characterization Study generates critical data and helps us clean our beaches.

By involving public school students and the local community to raise awareness of the real environmental challenges at our local beaches, the ultimate desired outcome is to reduce our environmental impacts and improve the quality of our community. The data gathered is posted on the web and on special occasions presented to city leaders to address the problem of trash on the streets, at the beach, and in the ocean.

The South Bay chapter's Blue Water Task Force Teach and Test program is a massive collaborative effort between chapter volunteers, students, and faculty supervisors from the following schools: Parras Middle School, Palos Verdes High School, El Segundo High School, Mira Costa High School, Redondo Union High School, West High School, Adams MS, & Lawndale High School. Samples are collected and brought back to our lab space, generously provided by Dive N' Surf shop in Redondo Beach.