Blue Water Task Force

The Blue Water Task Force is Surfrider’s volunteer water quality monitoring program that provides critical water quality information to protect public health at the beach. Surfrider chapters use this program to raise awareness of local pollution problems and to bring together communities to implement solutions.

Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) labs measure fecal indicator bacteria levels in recreational waters and compare them to water quality standards set to protect public health. Chapter-run BWTF programs fill in the gaps and extend the coverage of agency-run beach monitoring programs by sampling ocean and bay beaches, estuaries and potential freshwater sources of pollution such as stormwater outlets, rivers and creeks that discharge onto the beach.

The Jersey Shore Chapter’s Blue Water Task Force program provides year-round water quality information to the public, complementing the seasonal beach monitoring conducted by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Volunteers collect water samples from local beaches on a weekly basis throughout the year to help provide communities with timely information about coastal water conditions.

Collected samples are processed through Monmouth University’s Phytoplankton and Harmful Algal Bloom Lab (PHAB Lab), where staff and student researchers analyze the samples and share results through the Blue Water Task Force database. This partnership brings together Surfrider volunteers, university researchers, and students to expand water quality monitoring and support informed decision-making for people who enjoy New Jersey’s coastal waters.

For more information or questions: bwtf@jerseyshore.surfrider.org