It is not uncommon for sewage and urban runoff to reach the coastline in crowded urban areas. To protect the health of swimmers from fecal contamination at beaches, public health officials routinely monitor the coastal waters for indicator organisms (bacteria), such as fecal Coliform and Enterococcus. These organisms are naturally found in the intestines of warm blooded organisms, and so when they are detected in beach water it means that there is probably fecal contamination. While the indicators used to monitor beaches are bacteria, the actual disease causing organisms (called "pathogens") are often viruses or even parasites.

In this assignment, you are an environmental health inspector charged with the responsibility to sample beach water, after a storm, to inform the public, and particularly surfers. Also, you will need to make decisions about whether to close the beach or not. Write a 2-3 page paper in which you do the following:

1. Describe the types of illnesses that can be caused by contaminated recreational beach waters.

2. Identify the challenges in monitoring and managing beach waters to protect the public, and particularly surfers, in a timely manner (hint: discuss the timeliness of water test results).

3. Describe the types of warning information that you would make available to the public regarding the safety of swimming at the beach. Base your answer on the general practices of public health departments.