Testing the Waters 2008

NRDC's annual survey of water quality and public notification at U.S. beaches finds that pollution caused the number of beach closings and advisories to hit their second-highest level in the 18-year history of the report. The number of 2007 closing and advisory days at ocean, bay, and Great Lakes beaches topped 20,000 for the third consecutive year, confirming that our nation's beaches continue to suffer from serious water pollution that puts swimmers at risk.

Aging and poorly designed sewage and stormwater systems hold much of the blame for beachwater pollution. The number of closing and advisory days due to sewage spills and overflows more than tripled to 4,097 from 2006 to 2007, but the largest known source of pollution continues to be contamination from stormwater, which caused more than 10,000 closing and advisory days in 2007. Unknown sources of pollution caused more than 8,000 closing and advisory days.

Despite these statistics, promising developments could improve the state of water monitoring at U.S. beaches. As a result of legal pressure from NRDC, the Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to update its 20-year-old beachwater quality standards by 2012. The legal settlement requires EPA to:

• Conduct new health studies and swimmer surveys.
• Approve a water-testing method that will produce same-day results.
• Protect beachgoers from a broader range of waterborne illnesses.

The illnesses include conditions such as skin rashes, pinkeye, respiratory infections, meningitis and hepatitis. Current standards are focused on gastrointestinal illnesses such as stomach flu. Current water quality tests also take 24 hours or more to produce results, putting beachgoers at serious risk. The EPA's changes are a much-needed step toward promoting safer and healthier beaches along U.S. coastlines.

However, the settlement doesn't actually require local beach officials to use the rapid-testing methods developed by EPA. That's one big reason that NRDC is urging Congress to pass the Beach Protection Act, which would require states to begin using rapid-water tests within one year of EPA validation. The measure would also authorize funding for studies that identify the sources of beachwater pollution, so they can be cleaned up. If the act is passed, it would benefit the health of the beaches and the people who enjoy them while bolstering coastal economies that depend on beaches for tourism revenue.