January 1, Top 10 Bacteria-Infested Beaches: The Unseen Danger Lurking in US Waters

The Surfrider Foundation recently unveiled its list of the top 10 most bacteria-polluted beaches in America during 2023. The organization’s Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) sampled water at 567 different sites, collecting 9,538 samples. About 22% of the samples showed high bacteria levels, and 64% of the nearly 600 beaches monitored didn’t pass state health standards at least once.

According to Surfrider’s Clean Water Report 2023, “chronic underfunding has forced states to prioritize which beaches to monitor, reduce sampling frequency, and limit beach seasons.” Surfrider volunteers help fill gaps and extend the coverage of state and local agency beach monitoring programs.

The majority of water samples that failed to meet health standards were collected from freshwater sources, influenced by stormwater runoff. Surfrider states, “nearly 10 trillion gallons of untreated stormwater runoff flow into U.S. waterways every year, carrying pollutants including road dust, oil, animal waste, fertilizers, and other chemicals.”

Two beaches on the list, Imperial Beach in San Diego County, California, and Nawiliwili Stream at Kalapaki Bay in Lihue, Hawaii, failed every test. Authorities closed Imperial Beach for 930 days, but this doesn’t fully prevent people from getting sick as some toxins contaminate the air. South Bay Urgent Care reported a 140% increase in patients needing breathing treatments in the past year.

The Scripps Institute of Oceanography linked 34,000 illnesses to Imperial Beach pollution in 2017. “Coastal waters along Tijuana, Mexico, and Imperial Beach, USA, are frequently polluted by millions of gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater runoff,” the research stated. Hurricane Hilary alone released 2.5 billion gallons of contaminated stormwater through the Tijuana River Valley, resulting in bacterial levels nearly 100 times higher than California’s health standard.

Surfrider emphasizes, “these priority beaches represent a variety of recreational waters and access points that are important to local communities, yet water quality conditions could be putting public health at risk.” The Blue Water Task Force posts recent water test results on their website, and the EPA also has a list of all monitored beaches, beach closures, and advisories along with water test results.

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