Recommendation: In primary contact recreation waters, 

 except where caused by natural conditions, maximum 

 water temperature should not exceed 30 C (85 F). 



Other aspects of water quality for the primary 

 contact recreation user, including those associated 

 with mental satisfaction rather than health or 

 physical well-being, can be met by adherence to 

 recommendations for realization of aesthetic val- 

 ues and enhancement of recreation enjoyment. 



a single set of criteria for recreation in fresh, estua- 

 rine, and marine waters. Given the lack of defini- 

 tive data, reasonable latitude for criteria in marine 

 waters should be provided in specific instances 

 where acceptable monitoring and observation sup- 

 port other criteria. 



Recreation criteria for marine waters 



The Subcommittee has considered the advis- 

 ability of establishing separate criteria for marine 

 and estuarine waters. While some studies would 

 seem to indicate that nothing short of actual inges- 

 tion of particulate fecal matter constitutes a threat 

 to the recreation user in marine waters, the Sub- 

 committee does not feel that information now 

 available justifies separate criteria. 



Several additional arguments favoring more 

 lenient microbiological criteria in marine waters 

 have been advanced, but upon careful considera- 

 tion these have been rejected by the Subcommittee 

 as not being sufficient justification for relaxation of 

 the criteria. 



It is frequently stated that salt water is less 

 palatable than fresh water and when accidentally 

 taken into the mouth is ejected rather than in- 

 gested, thus materially lessening the chance of 

 intake of water-borne pathogens. However, salt 

 water is not so unpalatable that it is automatically 

 ejected. This is particularly true in the case of 

 children where the sophistications of adults have 

 not developed. 



Another argument posed in favor of the lessened 

 threat of pathogens from fecal contamination in 

 marine waters is the bactericidal properties of 

 these waters. However, the bactericidal properties 

 of marine waters are weak; their effectiveness in 

 providing a safety factor is questionable. More- 

 over, if marine waters were bactericidal, the 

 presence of indicator organisms would indicate 

 very recent fecal contamination, which, in the 

 absence of demonstrated selective bactericidal ef- 

 fect on pathogens, might suggest a greater threat 

 to health than comparable concentrations of indi- 

 cator organisms in fresh water. One might cite the 

 outbreaks of infectious hepatitis traced to marine 

 sources as a further refutation of the protection 

 afforded by bactericidal properties of marine 

 waters. 



In view of the foregoing, the Subcommittee 

 would suggest, as a general practice, application of 



selected bibliography 



Bureau of Outdoor Recreation. 1967. Superin- 

 tendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing 

 Office, Washington, D.C. 



CoETZE, O. J. 1951. Comments on sewage contamina- 

 tion of coastal bathing waters. South African Med. J. 

 35: 261. 



Committee on Science and Astronautics, Subcom- 

 mittee ON Science, Research, and Development. 

 1966. U.S. House of Representatives, 89th Cong., 2nd 

 sess. 



Geldreich, E. E. 1966. Sanitary significance of fecal 

 coliforms in the environment. U.S. Department of the 

 Interior, Federal Water Pollution Control Administra- 

 tion. WPC Res. Ser. Pub. No. WP-20-3. 



Moore, B. 1959. Sewage contamination of coastal 

 bathing waters in England and Wales. A bacteriologi- 

 cal and epidemiological study. J. Hyg. 57(4) : 435. 



Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Committee. 

 1962. Outdoor recreation for America. Superin- 

 tendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing 

 Office, Washington, D.C. 



Public Health Activities Committee, Sanitary 

 Engineering Division. 1963. Coliform standards for 

 recreational waters. Amer. Soc. Civil Engr., Proc. 

 57-94. 



Smith, R. S., T. D. Woolsey, and A. H. Stevenson. 

 1961. Bathing water quality and health, I. Great 

 Lakes. U.S. Public Health Service, Environmental 

 Health Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. 



Smith, R. S., and T. D. Woolsey. 1952. Bathing water 

 quality and health, II. Inland river. Environmental 

 Health Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. 



Smith, R. S., et al. 1961. Bathing water quality and 

 health, III. Coastal waters. Environmental Health 

 Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. 



Stevenson, A. H. 1953. Studies of bathing water 

 quality. Amer. J. Pub. Health 43(5): 529. 



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