EXCELLENCE IN ENVIROMENTAL HEALTH AWARD NOMINATION

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1 ELIZABETH A. POZZEBON DIRECTOR June 31, 2014 DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH LAND AND WATER QUALITY DIVISION P.O. BOX , SAN DIEGO, CA Phone: (858) Fax: (858) AMY HARBERT ASSISTANT DIRECTOR EXCELLENCE IN ENVIROMENTAL HEALTH AWARD NOMINATION Protecting Public Health by Getting the Word Out Overview The County of San Diego s Beach and Bay Water Quality Monitoring Program protects public health at recreational beaches and bays countywide. It does this by monitoring and sampling water at more than 80 beaches and waterways, then notifying the public to let visitors and residents know when the water s safe. Notifying the public quickly has been one of the biggest challenges. We do it by using multiple channels: hotlines, press releases and social media that are updated 24-hours-a-day, 365 days a year. In January 2014 we unveiled the new centerpiece of our notification system, a mobile web application, ( where anyone can get immediate info at any time, on their smartphones, tablets or computers. The app was created specifically so it could relay easy-to-use maps and information on mobile devices, allowing people to get updated water-quality information on-the-go, even when at beaches or away from home. The App was designed to quickly and efficiently provide the public with at a glance information in different formats, including lists and an interactive mapping feature, that identify potentially unhealthy water quality and areas that are more susceptible to poor water quality because of nearby surface water-runoff sources. The Challenge We wanted to improve our ability to protect and serve the public by making it easier for them to find and use water-quality reports. In the IT age, people want information now. They want it to be reliable, easy to understand, and available This desire for immediacy and convenience has increased since modern smartphones were introduced in All notification methods have their place. But pre-smartphone notification methods can frustrate the public into ignoring or worse questioning the need for, or the reliability and validity of, water-quality reports. Unless you are at home in front of a personal computer screen, you probably can t see and use text-only websites, or sites that haven t been designed to be seen or easily deciphered on smartphones and tablets. Phone and messages may not be fast or convenient enough. These problems are especially true for the tourists who make up a significant portion of San Diego County s summertime beachgoers. Because they re visiting, they re probably not carrying personal computers and unlikely to be signed up for local and telephone alerts. And because they re also less familiar with beach locations and dangers associated with poor water quality, they are potentially even Environmental and public health through leadership, partnership and science

2 Excellence in Environmental Health August 2, 2014 more susceptible to health risks. Mobile websites that can make it easy for tourists and residents to see water quality reports anytime can fill these notification gaps and improve public health protection. DEH s Effort The primary objective of the Beach and Bay Water Quality Monitoring Program mobile web application (App) is to quickly and efficiently provide information to the public on beach water quality in San Diego County from nearly any type of device connected to the internet. This effort was spearheaded by the Department of Environmental Health, Land and Water Quality Division Management, who procured funding and identified the need and associated benefits to the public. Development and implementation of the App lasted approximately six months. The App was developed jointly by the County of San Diego IT provider, Hewlett Packard, and Beach and Bay Water Quality Monitoring Program Lead, Keith Kezer (keith.kezer@sdcounty.ca.gov), working collaboratively during the duration of the project. The App was developed in a programming language that is fully responsive, meaning that the App will reconfigure the way information is displayed depending on the type of device it is viewed on. This allows the App to maximize the amount and configuration of information for computer monitors (i.e. utilizing available real estate on larger devices) while maintaining full functionality on smaller mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones. The seamless look, feel, and functionality of the App on both smaller mobile devices and larger devices makes for an easy transition between the two, encouraging users to utilize the App on multiple device types and to show friends and coworkers on their devices. The App was designed with simplicity in mind to appeal to the broadest possible audience and to minimize clutter and confusion. On a standard computer monitor under typical or default screen resolutions, the App landing page (starting page) can be viewed in its entirety requiring little or no scrolling to see all the components of the page. Roughly half of the landing page is dedicated to the interactive mapping tool which is the centerpiece of the App. The other half accommodates the header, links to supporting pages and social media, and lists of beaches with poor water quality in the form of Advisories and Closures. On smaller devices, the interactive map dominates the display with just one Navigation button located below the header that links to all the subpages and the lists of current Advisories and Closures at County beaches. The centerpiece of the App is the interactive mapping tool and associated map navigation buttons which provide at a glance water quality information for San Diego County beaches. The default map view displays the entire County of San Diego coastline and identifies each location currently being monitored or sampled by the Beach and Bay Water Quality Monitoring Program with a flag. Flag colors are indicative of the water quality status with green indicating water quality meets California State health standards, yellow identifying beaches where health standards may not be met (advisories), and red identifying areas exposed to sewage or chemical spills with the potential for significantly elevated health risks (closures).

3 Excellence in Environmental Health August 2, 2014 The standard Bing map can be manipulated by panning and zooming to specific beaches or the user can utilize the navigation buttons above the map to focus on specific parts of the County (North, Central, South, or specific Cities). Users interested in a specific beach can also use the drop down arrow adjacent to the North, Central, or South buttons to view a complete listing of beaches currently being sampled in that area, conveniently labeled from north to south as you go down the list. Selecting a specific beach from the drop down will zoom the map to that beach. Once zoomed to a beach, either by utilizing the aforementioned drop down list or zooming manually, the user can view the exact locations that water quality samples are typically collected for routine sampling. In addition, this zoomed view will also provide the user with the locations of all reported surface water runoff sources, which are the primary source of near-shore beach and bay pollutants and typically the source of poor water quality at the respective beach. Clicking on a map flag will cause a popup window to appear that is specific to that flag and the associated beach. The popup window provides a wealth of information about the beach that is nicely packaged for easy consumption and includes the following components: The common name and location of the beach. A link that allows the user to get driving directions to the beach. A link to zoom to the beach and see the surface water runoff locations and exact routine sample location. For beaches currently identified as having poor water quality, the type of impact (advisory or closure), the precise location of the impacted area, the date the impact began, a statement advising beach users to avoid water quality in this area, and a link to general information about when advisories and closures are issued. Beach specific information regarding the current monitoring or sampling schedule, typical water quality at this location, and potentially other interesting beach characteristics. Links to the full County Map, Map Legend, and User s Guide. Water quality in the southern portion of San Diego County is almost exclusively dominated by impacts from the Tijuana River, which when flowing from Mexico can transport millions of gallons of sewage-impacted water across the border to the United States each day. Sewage impacted river water is discharged to San Diego Beaches and results in numerous beach closures and associated health risks. The area of impact can expand drastically within a matter of hours and has the potential to extend from the International Border north to Coronado, potentially impacting greater than 10 miles of South County beaches. As a result, DEH diligently monitors water quality conditions in South County and utilizes the Tijuana River Status link near the top left of the main page to provide the public at a glance notification of potential Tijuana River related health risks. The link glows bright red and displays HIGH RISK when potential health risks are high. One click of a button by B&B Program staff in the administration panel will change this link to green and display LOW RISK when supported by observed conditions and sample results. The Tijuana River Status link also opens a supporting page which briefly outlines the complexities of the Tijuana River and associated area. Links to other supporting pages below the Tijuana River Status link provide related Beach and

4 Excellence in Environmental Health -4- August 2, 2014 Bay Water Quality Monitoring Program information, historical water quality reports, and other resources. In the bottom left hand corner of the landing page users can toggle between two tabs labeled Advisories and Closures. These two tabs represent the types of actions that can be taken due to potentially poor water quality at San Diego County beaches. The number in parenthesis following each type of action represents the current number of areas potentially impacted with poor water quality. Each advisory or closure includes specific information about the location of impact, the date impacts began, a message instructing users to avoid this area, and a link which provides some general information about when advisories and closures are issued. Users can quickly digest all closure and advisory information within San Diego County with at a glance efficiency from this list format. Computer view of App with example flag popup window.

5 Excellence in Environmental Health August 2, 2014 Smart phone view of App. In concert with the start of the 2014 beach season (April 2014) and the new mobile web application, we implemented the use of a QR code to zip the public to our App. QR codes can be scanned with any smartphone armed with a QR scanner, of which there are hundreds available for free download. Once scanned, it will zip the user directly to the web address embedded in the QR code. QR codes have been applied to all beach notification signs and provided to lifeguards. When the public comes across one of our beach notification signs, one quick scan of the QR code will take them to our web App and the details of any beach closures or advisories in the County.

6 Excellence in Environmental Health August 2, 2014 Cost of the Program There were no capital costs associated with the development of the App as there was no equipment or licenses purchased during development. The App resides on an existing San Diego County Microsoft based server and the license associated with Bing maps was already held by the County of San Diego. Therefore, the primary costs incurred during this project were associated with onetime development costs of the App, which can be broken down into two categories, 1) costs associated with our contractor, Hewlett Packard s time, and 2) costs associated with Beach and Bay Water Quality Monitoring Program staff time, which include not only App development but also significant training for Beach and Bay Water Quality Monitoring Program staff prior to implementation. Costs for each are estimated as follows: $146,000 for Hewlett Packard (San Diego County IT contractor) $120,000 for Beach and Bay Water Quality Monitoring Program Staff Ongoing costs associated with App maintenance include 1) annual costs incurred by our IT contractor for server maintenance and periodic backup activities and 2) Beach and Bay Water Quality Monitoring Program Staff time to manage and update the App. While time is spent managing and updating the App with current conditions (item 2), this time varies depending on conditions and has generally been found to be equal to or less than time spent on the former website due to the significant efficiency gains that came with management of the new App. Results/Success of the Program The App was launched January 3, Within the first two months of going live, the winter months of January and February, the App received nearly 7,000 visits (measurement of web traffic), more than the old website had received during the entire previous year. To date, web traffic continues to increase with over 20,000 visits to the app. Many other website metrics further support the accomplishment of our goals. The following observations were made since the App launch and represent the most current data available: 1. The average visit duration of just under a minute likely indicates that individuals are quickly and efficiently accessing the beach water quality information they need. 2. Almost half of all visits to date have been with mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets indicting that the public has been successful when accessing the App from mobile devices. 3. The App has received visits from individuals located in at least 55 countries around the world and from every state in the United States, suggesting that tourists are interested and engaged in San Diego County s beach water quality. 4. Over 75% of visitors appear to be finding the information they need on the landing page (starting page) of the App without having to look around on numerous pages as indicated by average number of pages per visit of The percentage of returning visitors is increasing slowly with time, suggesting that first time visitors are finding the information they need and

7 Excellence in Environmental Health August 2, 2014 are subsequently returning to the website to stay updated on beach water quality status. 6. There is no difference in the amount of time computer users and mobile device users are spending on the App suggesting that both the speed and functionality of the App are similar regardless of the device type utilized. 7. The number of App visits increases considerably during periods of poor water quality, suggesting that the public is taking an active interest in monitoring changing water quality conditions and protecting their health. Together with the numerous positive comments we ve received from the public about this App, the aforementioned objective metrics help solidify the overall success of the beach water quality App. Google Analytics App summary. Worthiness of an Award This program has improved our ability to protect and serve the public good. Anyone who carries a smartphone, tablet, laptop or other mobile device will never have to wonder whether the beach or waterway they re at is safe. This app gives them current, reliable, easy-to-understand beach water-quality information wherever they are, at any time of the day or night. Already, thousands of people, locally and all across the globe have taken advantage of the benefits of the app since we introduced it in January. This app will give everyone the information they need to protect their own health, their families health and their friends health. This app has been a resounding success by all available measures. The effort was recently recognized by the National Association of Counties as an Achievement Award winner.