Capitola Beach closes after E. coli sickens nine Bay Area children; health officials list warning signs for parents
Five of the children live in Bay Area counties outside Santa Cruz County. Officials think they picked up the bacteria at the beach or in nearby creek water.
Capitola Beach in Santa Cruz County is closed until further notice after nine children were sickened by a dangerous strain of E. coli bacteria, according to a Nov. 10 news release from the County of Santa Cruz and the City of Capitola.
Four of the children live in Santa Cruz County and five live in other Bay Area counties. The release did not say which counties. All nine cases are linked, meaning they likely share a source, and health officials believe the children were exposed at Capitola Beach or in nearby waterways. The exact source is still unknown.
What to do
- Stay out of the water in the posted closure area and follow closure signs.
- Don’t drink untreated water from creeks, lagoons or other natural water.
- Don’t swim with open wounds, and shower after contact with creeks or the ocean.
- Keep pets out of water that may be contaminated, and give them clean drinking water.
- Call a health care provider about worrying symptoms. Get prompt medical care for bloody diarrhea or signs of dehydration, the county said.
Warning signs
E. coli O157 causes severe stomach illness, including diarrhea that may be bloody, stomach cramps and vomiting. Young children are most at risk of serious complications, the county said.
The most serious is hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a medical emergency that can lead to kidney failure and death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its signs include peeing little or not at all, losing pink color in the cheeks and inside the lower eyelids, unexplained bruising or a rash of tiny red spots, and being very tired or cranky.
The CDC advises calling a doctor for diarrhea or vomiting that lasts more than two days, bloody poop or pee, or a fever above 102°F. Dehydration can happen quickly in young children, so give extra fluids such as oral rehydration drinks. Signs of dehydration include little or no peeing, very dark pee, a dry mouth, dizziness and crying without tears.
What officials are doing
Crews took water samples at four spots in and around Soquel Creek, which flows into Monterey Bay at the beach: upstream near Nob Hill, at the jetty, in Soquel Creek Lagoon and at the flume where creek water enters the bay. More testing is planned, and the release did not include results. The county and city are working with the California Department of Public Health and the CDC and will announce when the beach can reopen. Local water-quality updates are posted by the county’s Environmental Health Division.
Sources: County of Santa Cruz and City of Capitola news release, Nov. 10, 2026; CDC: Symptoms of E. coli infection; County of Santa Cruz Environmental Health water quality monitoring.