This Labor Day weekend, numerous Americans plan to visit beaches for a final summer outing. However, swimming might be off-limits due to warnings about high levels of fecal contamination in the water.
Beaches stretching from Crystal River in Florida to Ogunquit in Maine have issued alerts this week over poor water quality, citing elevated bacteria from fecal matter. These warnings advise against swimming, as exposure to these bacteria can lead to issues like stomach problems, skin rashes, and nausea.
This week, several of the nation’s popular seaside spots have been closed, including Keyes Memorial Beach located in Hyannis Village on Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Benjamin’s Beach in Bay Shore, New York; and parts of Imperial Beach near San Diego. In Hawaii, even the normally clean beaches aren’t spared, with Kahaluu Beach Park on the Big Island now under high bacteria warnings from the Hawaii State Department of Health.
Fecal contamination is a persistent and widespread issue. In 2024, nearly two-thirds of beaches tested nationwide recorded at least one day when unwanted fecal bacteria levels posed potential health risks, according to a report by the conservation organization Environment America released this summer.
The study, which evaluated beaches along the coastlines and Great Lakes, revealed that 84% of Gulf Coast beaches exceeded safe standards at least once. Similarly, 79% of West Coast beaches, 54% of East Coast beaches, and 71% of Great Lakes beaches experienced similar conditions.
The report further highlighted that over 450 beaches had potentially dangerous swimming conditions for at least 25% of the evaluated days. Outdated water and sewage systems are primary contributors to this issue, as they allow sewage-related contamination to infiltrate swimming areas, according to John Rumpler, the clean water director and senior attorney at Environment America.
“These beaches are a treasure for families across New England and across the country. They are a shared resource,” said Rumpler, who is based in Boston. “We need to make the investment to make sure that literally our own human waste doesn’t wind up in the places where we are swimming.”
Other factors have also played a role in contaminating beaches, including increasingly severe weather that overwhelms sewage systems, and suburban sprawl that paves over natural areas and reduces the ecosystem’s ability to absorb stormwater, Rumpler said.
But many people plan to jump in the ocean anyway. Despite a two-day warning of elevated fecal indicator bacteria last month at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, beachgoer Yaromyr Oryshkevych was not concerned.
“I really don’t expect to be in any kind of danger of fecal contamination,” said Oryshkevych, a retired dentist. He said he didn’t think Rehoboth was close enough to notable pollution to be concerned, and he expected the ocean’s natural currents to take care of any problems with contamination in the area.
Dana West, a federal worker visiting Rehoboth Beach, recalled an instance earlier this year where a dozen members of his vacationing party experienced gastrointestinal issues. The symptoms occurred after they went on a snorkeling excursion, an activity that increases the likelihood of swallowing seawater, off the coast of Isla Mujeres, Mexico.
It was an unpleasant experience, but he doesn’t expect a repeat this weekend in Delaware.
“But generally, I have no concerns about the level of fecal and bacterial matter,” said West while admiring Rehoboth’s shore. “I assume the local authorities will tell us if there are higher levels than normal.”
Despite West’s confidence, some beaches in the area of Rehoboth, including nearby Rehoboth Bay and Dewey Beach bayside, were indeed under water advisories this week. Such advisories are not always posted on public signs.
Environment America assessed beach safety in its report by examining whether fecal bacteria levels exceeded standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that trigger an alert to avoid the water. Fecal bacteria at those levels can cause illness in 32 out of every 1,000 swimmers.
In North Carolina, five beaches were under advisories in late August because of elevated levels of fecal bacteria. The beaches are open, but swimmers are advised that going in the water could be risky, said Erin Bryan-Millush, environmental program supervisor with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
Hurricane Erin caused extensive erosion and storm surge in some coastal areas, according to the Department of Environmental Quality. Heavy rain events this summer also exacerbated the contamination problem in some areas, Bryan-Millush said.
“Those storm drains carry everything,” Bryan-Millush said. “It could be really bad for someone who is immune compromised.”
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Lau reported from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Featured video is from a previous story.
