As convoys of trucks continue to dump mud from the Montecito debris flow every day at Goleta Beach, the quality of both the mud and the ocean water is coming under increasing scrutiny.
A team of UCSB scientists is now studying the DNA of bacteria in the surf zone and the mud to find out whether it comes from humans, as opposed to horses, dogs or birds. Initial results may be available by the end of next week.
“I just can’t stress enough how important it is to figure out whether there’s human waste in the mud,” said Patricia Holden, a UCSB professor of environmental microbiology who is leading the DNA study. “It’s human material that is most likely to be harmful to people and cause disease.”