Fecal Indicator Bacteria (or FIB for short) are used to measure the quality of water for recreational and a variety of other "beneficial uses." As a California-based environmental engineer specialized in watershed and water resources management, it is not at all surprising that I have been spending the last several years getting up close and personal with FIB. California is a big water recreation state and FIB are an important component of ensuring that the public health is preserved.
Lately I have been working in the Los Angeles area (Inner Cabrillo Beach), where there has been a long-term history of elevated FIB counts. I have spent over 1/10th of my life there over the last two years. I have become achingly familiar with the sand, wind, sun and water, the eel grass, and the bird exclusion structure and the people. I have learned to keep an eye out for sources of FIB. I have a masterful eye.
When I came across the Yahoo story about 30K-40K dead fish piled up on along the Georgetown County shoreline, and the government's plan to let rotting fish lie, my first thought was how high will the FIB counts be?
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