More than half of American beaches are contaminated with feces and sewage, making the water unsafe for swimming, according to a study by Environment America.
The group found that 55% of over 3,100 beaches tested in 2022 had at least one day when “fecal contamination” reached potentially unsafe levels, surpassing the Environmental Protection Agency’s benchmark for beach alerts and closures.
American coastlines are polluted with human and animal waste, dumped into the ocean by sewage overflows, industrial farms, and cattle operations.
Texas beaches ranked among the worst in the country, with 90% of the 61 tested beaches at unhealthy levels. The Gulf Coast performed poorly overall, with 84% of the coastline failing to meet cleanliness standards.
Oregon beaches are the most consistently dirty in the U.S., with six of its beaches at unsafe sanitary levels more than 75% of the time they were tested, according to the research.
New York is not far behind. The group found that 57% of the 344 state beaches tested in 2022 had at least one day when “fecal contamination” reached potentially unsafe levels.
But data released by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, which tests the waters and issues alerts, showed that only one public beach in the city, Wolfe’s Pond Park in Staten Island, was closed in 2022 due to poor water quality.
Swimming in waters contaminated with feces can cause “respiratory illnesses, ear and eye infections, and skin rashes,” the group warns, noting that there are about 57 million cases of waterborne diseases reported in the U.S. every year.
“Unfortunately, sewage infrastructure across the country is inadequate or in disrepair, allowing raw sewage to reach our waterways,” the report states.
“Sewage overflows occur up to 75,000 times a year in the U.S.”
Upgrading the country’s sewage system is one way to mitigate the problem. Although Congress has committed more than $25 billion for sewage and stormwater projects since 2021, the EPA estimates it would cost about $271 billion to fix wastewater infrastructure nationwide.
Beachgoers should check alerts from government agencies and avoid entering the water if they have open wounds, Environment America said.
Source: Environment America and The New York Post