Article 6. Ocean Water-contact Sports of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 104. >> Part 10. >> Chapter 5. >> Article 6.

As used in this article, water-contact sport means any sport in which the body of a person comes into physical contact with water, including but not limited to swimming, surfboarding, paddleboarding, skin diving, and water-skiing. It does not include boating or fishing.

The department has supervision of sanitation, healthfulness, and safety of the public beaches and public water-contact sport areas of the ocean waters and bays of the state and, except as provided in Section 18930, the department may make and enforce regulations pertaining thereto as it deems proper.

Regulations made pursuant to this article shall include suitable standards of safe bacteria count for water-contact sports areas specified by the State Water Pollution Control Board or regional water pollution control boards, which standards shall be applied to all public water-contact sport areas of the ocean waters and bays of the state.

Every person who violates any rule or regulation adopted pursuant to this article is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Nothing contained in this article shall be construed to give the department the authority to fix the areas wherein water-contact sports may be engaged in or to affect the authority of the State Water Pollution Control Board or regional water pollution control boards to fix appropriate areas for various uses.