Half of US Beaches Have Unsafe Pollution Levels

Among nearly 3,200 beaches nationwide that were tested in 2022, 55% had at least one day during which fecal contamination reached potentially unsafe levels. Beaches may also have experienced contamination on days when testing did not take place, the organization noted.

Among those studied, 363 beaches had potentially unsafe levels of fecal contamination on at least 25% of testing days.

How often a state tests its beaches varies, the center said.

Contaminated water can cause gastrointestinal illness, respiratory disease, ear and eye infections and skin rashes. About 57 million cases of illness happen each year from swimming in oceans, lakes, rivers and ponds, according to the organization.

Sometimes, contaminated water triggers health warning or beach closures.

The organization noted more than 8,700 health warnings or closures at U.S. coastal and Great Lakes beaches in 2022, affecting 1 of every 12 swimming days.

Beach pollution comes from a variety of sources, including sprawling development, outdated and deteriorating sewage systems, spills from sanitary sewers, systems that combine stormwater and sewage into a single pipe, private septic systems and factory farming.