Issues: Oceans

Wondering how clean the water is at your favorite vacation spot? Finding an answer can be tricky. There is no national protocol for protecting the public from unsafe swimming water, so beach testing and closing/health advisory practices vary from beach to beach and state to state. Some states and localities regularly test the water quality at their beaches, while others don't. Even when states and localities perform tests, they don't always notify the public or close beaches when bacteria levels in the water exceed health standards.

Finding Help Online

Here's how you can try to check the safety of your favorite beach before you head out for a swim:

• To find out if an ocean, bay or Great Lakes beach is monitored regularly for pollution, start with Testing the Waters 2008. The NRDC report will give you the details on beachwater monitoring practices and standards -- and tell you how often those standards are violated. It also reports on whether local authorities notify the public when they discover beachwater pollution.
  
  Click here for a map of more than 100 popular U.S. beaches that rates their cleanliness and how well they are monitored.



• To share comments and see testing data on your favorite swimming or surfing beaches, visit Your Oceans, a new interactive website from NRDC.



• The Environmental Protection Agency's Beach Watch is also full of useful information, including a database of testing and beach closures and advisories. The agency's Beachgoer's Guide also offers tips about how you can help to improve water quality at the beach.



• Earth911 provides a Beach Water Quality link to a growing number of state and local websites that provide the latest information on monitoring results and local beaches' closing/advisory status.

Finding Help at the Local or State Health Department

In most cases, staff members at your town or county health department will be able to answer your questions about local beachwater monitoring. You also can contact a state's health or environmental protection agency. You'll find the phone numbers for these local and state contacts in the blue government pages of your phone book.

When you contact local or state health officials, ask:

• What are the sources of pollution affecting the waters where I swim?
• What sort of water quality monitoring for swimmer safety is performed at these beaches?
• Are beaches always closed or the public notified when monitoring shows that the bacterial standard is exceeded?
• What is the current status of these waters (are they closed or open), and what warning signs should you look for if there are water pollution problems?

Avoiding Polluted Beaches

In some cases, beachwater quality test results may be announced on local radio and TV, printed in the newspaper or posted on a website. Also, be on the lookout for posted signs at the beach before you swim.

Whenever possible, swim at beaches that your research shows have the cleanest water, are carefully monitored and have strict closure and advisory procedures. If your beach is not monitored regularly, there are some things you can do to avoid swimming in polluted water:

• If possible, choose beaches that are next to open waters or away from urban areas. They typically pose less of a health risk than beaches in developed areas or in enclosed bays and harbors with little water circulation.
  
  
• Look for pipes along the beach that drain stormwater runoff from the streets, and don't swim near them.
  
  
• Avoid swimming in beachwater that is cloudy or smells bad.
  
  
• Keep your head out of the water.
  
  
• Avoid swimming for at least 24 hours after heavy rains (which can wash pollution into the water).
  
  
• Contact local health officials if you suspect beachwater contamination so that others can be protected from exposure.

Photo: K. Condyles

Related NRDC Pages
Beach Pollution FAQ
Pollution-Related Beach Closings and Advisories Climb in 2007
Testing the Waters 2008
Your Life. Your Oceans.

last revised 7.24.08