The Ear receives endless Google Alert emails about how fabulous Cannon Beach is — in every possible conceivable way — from news sources all over the country.

So, as one can imagine, it was a real eye-opener to get this headline from the U.K. Daily Mail: “Disgusting secret of iconic Oregon beach that appeared in The Goonies.” What?

Last week, the Daily Mail reported, the Northwest Environmental Defense Center in Portland sued the city of Cannon Beach because the high levels of E. coli and Enterococcus bacteria make the beach potentially unsafe.

The city of Cannon Beach has “harbored feces in its water for years” because of its antiquated sewer system, which is why untreated human fecal matter (aka poop) is seeping into local waters and onto public beaches, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit is a nudge. One of the NEDC’s lawyers says it’s just the first step in trying to get the city of Cannon Beach to correct the situation. City officials have denied the accusations in the lawsuit. (Photo: Cannon Beach History Center & Museum)