As the chairman of Surfrider Foundation San Luis Obispo (chair@slo.surfrider.org ), my goal is as follows: “Support fellow Surfrider volunteers as we affect positive change regarding beach preservation and water quality issues in our county.” As reported by The Tribune, October has been a terrible month for water quality at our beaches. I’d like to share one example of how our chapter is working toward a solution.

Our chapter’s “Keeping it Blue” ocean water testing partnership with Avila Sea Life Center is helping to build an independent data set. Our lab has already documented water quality issues in Avila Lagoon, where SLO County does not sample and simply posts signs warning people not to swim there. So, we want to continue our work with SLO County, the people of Avila Beach, and Port San Luis. Together, we can eliminate a known liability and turn it into an asset. Let’s get the lagoon back!