Programs

A Surfrider Foundation program to tackle the ocean litter issue – primarily caused by plastic pollution - through education for action, community science, and campaigns. We are all part of the solution and together we can restore our coastlines, one beach at a time.

The Blue Water Task Force (BWTF), is the Surfrider Foundations volunteer-run, water testing, education and advocacy program. Our chapters use this program to alert the public and officials in their communities about water quality problems and to work toward solutions.

The Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Restaurants program tackles plastic pollution at its source. One restaurant, one customer at a time, it increases awareness, drives behavior change, and ultimately creates scalable impact to reduce our plastic footprint.

Disposable cigarette filters are inherently wasteful by design, and must be stopped.

Surfrider San Mateo County has monitored water quality at Linda Mar Beach and San Pedro Creek for more than 12 years, documenting ongoing fecal bacteria pollution. In 2025, 72% of samples at the creek outlet exceeded health standards for swimming and surfing. Working with the Linda Mar Water Quality Coalition, we’re investigating pollution sources, expanding water quality monitoring, and advocating for long-term solutions to protect public health and improve water quality at Linda Mar Beach.