When it comes to summer hazards, sunburns, sharks and riptides tend to receive the lion’s share of attention.
Here’s something else you’ll want to avoid: fecal contamination.
According to a new report by Environment America’s Research & Policy Center, more than 60% of U.S. beaches tested in 2024 had at least one day where the water was so full of fecal bacteria that it failed federal safety standards. Not surprisingly, swimming in contaminated oceans, lakes, rivers and ponds can cause gastrointestinal illness, respiratory disease, ear and eye infection and skin rashes. An estimated 57 million cases of illness are caused by fecal contamination in the U.S. each year.
Have no fear: With a few precautions in place, it’s entirely possible to enjoy clean water at your favorite swimming hole this summer.
5 ways to ensure your favorite spot is safe for swimming:
1. Determine if your beach is a problem beach.
States vary in how frequently and widely they test their beaches. Whereas some swimming spots are tested frequently, others may be tested sporadically (or not at all).
As a point of reference, it helps to know how often your favorite beach had health advisories last year due to contaminated waters. Environment America Research & Policy Center’s Safe for Swimming? dashboard is a state-specific resource that provides the number of days with tests showing potentially unsafe levels of fecal indicator criteria in 2024. The dashboard also lists the percentage of days on which testing took place. Simply select your state from the dropdown menu to begin.
2. Check for current beach closures and the most recent health advisories.
Arriving at your favorite watering hole or spot on the shore only to find out it has a health advisory due to unsafe water conditions is a real bummer.
Check that your preferred spot is open for swimming before leaving home by perusing the latest beach advisories in your state or a state you’re traveling to. We’ve created this simple tool to find where you can get the latest information.
If you have questions about your favorite beach, or if you can’t find sufficient information online, phone your local or state health department. They should be able to tell you whether the beach is being monitored for contamination. If it is, they may also be able to tell you whether your preferred spot is currently safe for swimming.
3. After a heavy storm, avoid swimming at the beach for 72 hours.
After a deluge, overflowing stormwater can flood sewage systems. When this happens, raw sewage trickles straight into bodies of water and pollutes them with bacteria and viruses.
It’s a good practice to steer clear of swimming immediately after a heavy rainfall. While there’s no hard and fast rule, some public health officials suggest waiting three days after a heavy downpour to allow time for contaminants to disperse and dilute.
Anytime you swim, remember that water that finds its way into an open wound may lead to an infection, so definitely avoid swimming if you have any open cuts. And if your ability to fight germs is already impacted by existing health issues or medications, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that you check with your healthcare provider before taking a dip.
4. Consider your beach location for likely problems.
It pays to be mindful of possible hazards that may impact water quality.
Be cognizant of surrounding hazards that could pollute waters. Because of their proximity to industrial areas, swimming spots in harbors or bays tend to be riskier than coastal beaches. If there’s a livestock farm upstream, fecal contamination may be present at higher levels than at a different spot.
Consider, too, how often the water is recycled in your swimming spot. Water that’s recycled slowly generally contains additional contaminants because they take longer to dilute. Whereas lakes have little water movement, exposed beaches with strong tides may clear out more quickly.
5. Use your instincts.
While you won’t be able to see individual bacteria, the cloudier and dirtier the water, the more risky it is. In general, it’s best to steer clear of water that’s discolored, cloudy or smells foul. And be sure to heed any warnings or beach closures posted at the beach itself, which may indicate unsafe conditions due to bacteria, rip currents or other hazards.
What’s making waters unsafe?
Fecal contamination can arise from a variety of sources:
- Sewage overflows: Sewage is a particularly dangerous threat to beach safety because it contains bacteria, viruses and parasites that cause disease in humans. Unfortunately, sewage infrastructure in many places around the country is either inadequate or in poor repair, which increases the chances that raw sewage finds its way into waterways.
- Stormwater runoff: Impervious surfaces such as parking lots and roads increase the flow of polluted stormwater into rivers, bays and coastal waters and exacerbate problems with outdated or inadequate sewer systems. Paving over wetlands or forests that had once absorbed rainfall makes this problem worse.
- Factory farms: In some parts of the U.S., fecal pollution from livestock production makes its way into waterways. Factory farms, which are large-scale industrial operations that raise animals for food, can significantly contribute to fecal contamination in waterways due to the sheer volume of manure these farms create.
Tell your legislators: Make our beaches safe for swimming.
All too often, broken sewage and stormwater systems are polluting the water at our beaches and other waterways. More than 60% of coastal and Great Lakes beaches had nasty bacteria in the water on one or more days in 2024. Such conditions are making millions of Americans sick.
We’re calling on our senators to take action to fix outdated sewage systems and to prevent water pollution by investing in natural, green water infrastructure.
