How Clean is Your Beach?

Could swimming at your local beach be hazardous to your health? Swimming in contaminated water can cause a range of diseases, including rashes, pinkeye, ear infections and respiratory ailments. NRDC's annual survey of beachwater quality found that the water at American beaches was unsafe for swimming a record number of days last year.

Across the country, there were more than 25,000 days of closings and advisories in 2006 at ocean, bay and Great Lakes beaches. But even beaches that meet federal health standards aren't necessarily safe because the EPA's outdated standards don't identify all of the types of contamination that can make people sick.

Where is all this nasty stuff coming from? Much of it is from polluted stormwater -- heavy rainfall washes sewage, debris and other pollutants into coastal waters. The second largest known source of beachwater pollution is sewage. To keep our beaches safe for swimming, we have to prevent beachwater pollution by repairing leaky sewage systems and cleaning up contaminated run off. The Beach Protection Act would provide funds for beach communities to identify and correct sources of beach pollution.

Learn more by reading NRDC's report and checking out the interactive map of popular beaches.

Urge Congress to clean up our beaches. Send an email to your congressperson asking them to co-sponsor the Beach Protection Act.	Learn more by reading NRDC's report and checking out the interactive map of popular beaches. Clean up after yourself at the beach and don't feed wildlife. Make sure young children wear swim diapers and rubber pants at the beach.	Get involved and start asking about water quality at local beaches. Call your local county or health department official and ask about the sources of water pollution near you. Report any problems -- if beachwater smells bad or you see pipes discharging wastewater near a beach, let your local public health and environmental officials know.

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