SOURCES OF FECAL INDICATOR BACTERIA IN URBAN STREAMS AND OCEAN BEACHES, SANTA BARBARA,

Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) indicative of fecal contamination in urban streams and recreational ocean beaches in Santa Barbara, California often exceed recreational water-quality standards. During low flow, FIB and human-specific Bacteroides concentrations in urban streams were associated with point discharges. FIB concentrations varied three-fold during diurnal sampling as a result of small variations in these discharges. During stormflow, FIB concentrations were higher than during low flow and varied over three orders of magnitude. FIB in stormflow were associated with non-point sources, and concentrations decreased as fecal contamination was washed from the urban watershed. Sources of fecal contamination to near-shore ocean water included surface discharge