Central Oregon Coast's Seal Rock Under Advisory to Stay Out of Water

Published 08/02/23 at 4:31 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Seal Rock, Oregon) – A favorite spot for central Oregon coast visitors is now under a health advisory to stay out of the water. Seal Rock Beach, close to Waldport in Lincoln County, has been issued the advisory by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), after unsafe levels of fecal bacteria were found in the waters.

OHA said you should avoid wading in the creeks or surf at Seal Rock, however all other activities are perfectly safe and acceptable.

Pools of water on the beach are not a good idea, as well as any runoff flowing into the ocean. Stay away from any area with discolored water, even under normal circumstances.

“People should avoid direct contact with the water in this area until the advisory is lifted,” OHA said.

Testing continues in an area where advisories have been issued. They usually last a mere two to four days.

“Unsafe levels of fecal bacteria can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections, and other illnesses,” OHA said. “Children, elderly and those with a compromised immune system should use extra caution as they are more vulnerable to illness from waterborne bacteria.”

The causes of such bacteria levels at an Oregon coast beach could be numerous things, and these are never pinned down.

Causes may come from:

Stormwater runoff.
Sewer overflows.
Failing septic systems.
Animal waste from livestock, pets and wildlife.

Wandering Seal Rock in all other ways is fine. This does not affect any means of recreation, such as kite flying, picnicking, playing on the beach, etc. These pose absolutely no risk.

Even if there are no advisories, OHA said you should stay out of the ocean waters for 48 hours after a storm. That includes swimming.

For the most recent information on advisories, visit the Oregon Beach Monitoring Program website at http://www.healthoregon.org/beach or call 971-673-0482, or 877-290-6767 (toll-free).

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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