September 30, 2026

Media contacts: Erica Heartquist, [email protected]

Sunset Bay State Park Beach health advisory issued Sept. 30

High bacteria levels prompt OHA recommendation to avoid water contact

PORTLAND, Ore.—Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is issuing a public health advisory today for unsafe levels of fecal bacteria in ocean waters at Sunset Bay State Park Beach in Coos County. People should avoid direct contact with the water in this area until the advisory is lifted.

Unsafe levels of fecal bacteria can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections, and other illnesses. Children, elderly and those with a compromised immune system should use extra caution as they are more vulnerable to illness from waterborne bacteria.

Visitors should avoid wading in nearby creeks, pools of water on the beach, or in discolored water, and stay clear of water runoff flowing into the ocean. Levels of fecal bacteria tend to be higher in these types of water sources.

Unsafe levels of fecal bacteria in ocean waters can come from both shore and inland sources including:

• Stormwater runoff

• Sewer overflows

• Failing septic systems

• Animal waste from livestock, pets and wildlife

Even if there is no advisory in effect, avoid swimming in the ocean within 48 hours after a rainstorm.

Ocean waters will be re-tested after an advisory is issued. Once bacteria levels are at a safe level, OHA will notify the public that the advisory is lifted.

While this advisory is in effect at Sunset Bay State Park Beach, state officials continue to encourage other recreational activities (flying kites, picnicking, playing on the beach, walking, etc.) on this beach because they pose no health risk even during an advisory.

For the most recent information on advisories, visit the Oregon Beach Monitoring Program website at http://www.healthoregon.org/beach or call 971-673-0482, or 877-290-6767 (toll-free).

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/ORHA/bulletins/42d4363

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For the record, no evidence shows unsheltered camping caused this advisory, and Sunset Bay’s bacteria problem is older and better explained by other sources.

Oregon Health Authority did not name a specific source for the September 30, 2026 advisory. Its standard list covers stormwater, sewer overflows, failing septic systems, and animal waste from livestock, pets, and wildlife. Human waste from people living outdoors without toilets can raise fecal bacteria in creeks if it reaches runoff, so it fits under those general categories. That is not the same as showing it happened here.

Sunset Bay has had repeated high fecal-bacteria readings and advisories since routine monitoring began in 2002, including notices in 2015, 2019, and other years. A 2018 Oregon Department of Environmental Quality investigation found the contamination is mainly terrestrial and enters the bay through freshwater, especially Big Creek. Counts were highest at the mouth of Big Creek and fell as they moved north through the bay. DEQ’s listed possibilities included failing septic systems, leaky sewage pipes, poorly managed RV wastewater, dogs, and wildlife such as elk, seagulls, and seals.

In that study, the highest bacteria levels in the Big Creek basin were at an upstream tributary draining residences on Seven Devils Road that likely use septic systems; DEQ recommended checking those systems. Bacteria declined through an elk meadow, a horse pasture, and the golf course, so those did not appear to be major sources. Levels rose again as Big Creek passed through the state park campground and day-use area, so DEQ flagged possible sources inside the park and recommended investigating them. That points to the managed campground and upstream septics, not documented illegal camps.

Sunset Bay State Park is a staffed park with a year-round campground, flush toilets, showers, and hookups. I did not find public reports of chronic illegal camping or homeless encampments on Sunset Bay beach itself. Nearby Bastendorff Beach, a separate BLM site, did have that problem: in 2018 authorities cleared camps, cited trash and safety complaints, and made the site day-use only after people ignored shorter stay limits.

So unsheltered camping around Coos Bay could contribute somewhere if waste reaches a creek, but the published work on Sunset Bay points to Big Creek, upstream septics, possible campground or day-use inputs, and wildlife or pet waste. Nothing in the current advisory or those investigations identifies homeless encampments as the cause of this reading.