NRDC Reports What You Can Do to Avoid Waterborne Illness at the Beach This Summer-

The Natural Resources Defense Council has recently released its annual water quality report and has determined beach contamination to be the cause of numerous beach closings and advisories, which has reached their 2nd highest level in the report’s 18 year history. The statement also revealed that ocean, bay and Great Lakes beach closings and advisories topped 20,000 in 2007 for the third subsequent year, verifying that our country’s beaches continue to remain dangerously polluted and pose serious health risks for people swimming in the polluted waters. NRDC established that the main cause of beach water pollution is older and poorly planned sewage and stormwater drain systems. Contaminated water due to sewage leaks and flooding more than tripled beach closings/advisories to 4,097 from 2006-2007. However, the principal source of water contamination proves to be stormwater pollution, which is runoff from streets, yards and rooftops when it rains. This waste runoff has been identified as the cause of more than 10,000 closing and advisory days in 2007. Additionally, other unidentified sources of pollution have been the cause of more than 8,000 closings and advisory days.

In spite of these issues, new improvements are arising which may progress water monitoring practices at U.S. beaches. After much dedicated work and legal coercion from NRDC, the Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to update its 20-year old beachwater quality standards by 2012. The legal agreement demands the EPA to approve a water-testing method that produces same day results, perform new health studies and swimmer surveys and safeguard beachgoers from a wider range of waterborne illness. Possible infections or viruses one may contract from contaminated beachwater include skin rashes, pinkeye, meningitis, hepatitis, respiratory infection and, more commonly, the stomach flu. Current water quality testing standards are only centered on the stomach flu and can take 24 hours or more to produce results, which places swimmers at a very severe risk. Another effluence issue is sand, which is like beachwater in that it is also contains bacterias, viruses and parasites that can make people very sick, which is why it is very important to watch your children and make sure that they are not placing their hands near their mouth while playing on the beach. It is also vital to understand that there are no required signs near stormwater draining areas, meaning it is up to you to be proactive and ask beach officials where waste runoff locations are. If you feel sick for any reason while swimming in beach water, the NRDC recommends vacating the water immediately, consuming a lot of fresh water and getting a lot of rest. In addition to it’s efforts involving the EPA, NRDC is working diligently to have Congress pass two very significant bills; the Clean Water Restoration Act, which would work to restore protection to wetlands and headwaters that filter water pollution, and the Clean Coastal Environmental and Public Health Act of 2009, which would provide funding for beachwater programs and require faster and more efficient beachwater tests. These initiatives set forth by the NRDC are absolutely fundamental for the safety of everyone swimming in the water and for the local economy of the tainted beaches. Until then we can all get motivated to put pressure on our local and state representatives to enact and/or enforce clean air and water legislation.

For information on your local beach closings and advisories, please visit the EPA NATIONAL BEACON
Additional NRDC water quality reports can be found here: NRDC: TESTING THE WATERS 2008