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Stay Safe at the Beach This Summer

Avoiding rip tides and slathering on the sunscreen aren’t the only things you need to do to be healthy and safe at the beach this summer. There may not be trash and medical waste on the beach, but the pollution you don't see could be hazardous to your health. Swimming in contaminated beach water can make you sick. And even clean-looking beaches are at risk.

When it rains, untreated sewage and contaminated stormwater flow into beachwaters, carrying human and animal waste, trash, and other bacteria-laden nastiness.

Swimming at a polluted beach puts you at risk for ear, nose, and eye infections; stomach problems; hepatitis; skin rashes; and respiratory illnesses. But there are a few simple things you can do to protect yourself. Congress should provide funding for much-needed beach cleanup efforts and help ensure that the public is notified promptly when beaches are unsafe for swimming. Ask your senator to co-sponsor the Beach Protection Act. The Beach Protection Act would require beach managers to use rapid test methods for beachwater monitoring and promptly notify the public of unsafe water. It would also fund state and local programs to identify and clean up the sources of beachwater pollution.

NRDC surveys beach water quality data every year, so if you have a minute, find out if your favorite beach is a beach bum or a beach buddy. To protect yourself, pick a beach that is tested regularly for cleanliness and that notifies you when it is unsafe to go in the water.

Wait at least 24 hours to swim at the beach after a heavy rainfall -- particularly if you have cuts or scratches. And make sure small children wear swim diapers in the water and wash their hands after playing in wet sand. Even if they don't venture into the waves, they can pick up bacteria from the sand. Don't just avoid contaminated beachwater, help prevent it! Learn what you can do to reduce and capture runoff in your area and prevent beach pollution at the source.


Ask your senator to co-sponsor the Beach Protection Act to help clean up contaminated beaches and to ensure that the public is notified promptly when beaches are unsafe for swimming.	See how often the water at your favorite beach is tested and if it violated health standards.	Read NRDC's homeowner's guide and make a few changes in your household to reduce water pollution. Reduce polluted stormwater runoff by moving rain gutters and spouts on your home to lead to soil, grass or gravel areas, and not hard surfaces which funnel pollution into waterways.