Why CICEET is partnering with SCCWRP

In the summer of 2006, CICEET implemented a technology/research gap analysis related to public health and the monitoring of water quality at swimming beaches. This analysis included more than 20 one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders, including beach managers, regulators, researchers, and citizen groups.

Several key issues emerged. A recurring concern among the interviewees was the need to better understand how various water quality indicators—and the technologies that measure them—actually relate to swimming-associated health effects.

Due to the analysis, CICEET engaged in discussions with SCCWRP about the potential benefits of partnering on SCCWRP’s upcoming epidemiology study that will begin in the spring of 2007. As designed, the study has the potential to form the basis of California’s future Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) standards related to beach water quality monitoring. It could influence TMDLs in other states, as well. Further, it is an opportunity for researchers in the public sector, academia, or industry to better understand how well their technologies/methods correlate with observed health effects in swimmers.

CICEET, therefore, decided to collaborate with SCCWRP in order to leverage resources around this critical issue. CICEET’s overall focus remains national, and preference in this RFP will be given to proposals that reflect the needs of beach managers across the country.