In August and September 1955 and May 1956, three small, but 

 intense blooms along the Orange County coast were followed by 

 unusually high bacterial populations on the adjacent beaches. 

 Beach counts of coliform bacteria had been greater than normal 

 during the summer of 1955, but were 60 to 80% higher immediately 

 following the blooms. Numbers of coliforms had also been lower 

 preceding the May occurrence. This apparent correlation was at 

 least suggestive, particularly because the blooms were restricted 

 to those waters through *\diich the sewage flowed. There are no 

 bacterial data relating to discolored water areas in Santa Monica 

 Bay due to the chlorination of the effluent by the Bureau of 

 Sanitation, Los Angeles, during the period of plankton sampling. 



In conjunction with investigations to establish the rate 

 of coliform disappearance from sea water, many series of nutrient 

 determinations were conducted in the water surrounding ocean 

 outfalls. It was believed that before speculations on the amount 

 and result of nutrients contributed by sewage were carried further, 

 some chemical data were necessary. By making repeated plankton 

 counts, it was conceivable that the nutrient, phytoplankton, 

 and bacteria data could be related. Therefore, around the Orange 

 County, Los Angeles County, and Hyperion outfalls the vertical 

 and horizontal distribution of phosphate, silicate, nitrate, and 

 ammonia were investigated. The most detailed work was accom- 

 plished near the Orange County outfall, but enough was learned 

 of the other two areas to show at least the relative nutrient 

 conditions. 



The contribution that plankton make to the turbidity of the 

 water is also an important consideration in the discharge of 



