1 in 10 beach water samples is contaminated, report finds

Ten percent of all water samples taken from American beaches last summer exceeded the protective benchmark for swimmer safety established by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to a report released Wednesday.

Authors of the Natural Resources Defense Council's 24th annual guide to water quality at vacation beaches pointed to stormwater runoff as a particular long-term problem. But in the shorter term, they urge the EPA to finalize the proposed Clean Water Protection Rule, which would reaffirm that discharges of upstream water can be regulated under the Clean Water Act of 1972. [Editor's note:This paragraph originally identified the Natural Resource Defense Council incorrectly.]

The rule restores protections that long existed in the Clean Water Act but that have been thrown into legal limbo by ... Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006, says Jon Devine, a senior attorney for the NRDC.

Specifically, the rule would clarify what kinds of water bodies fall under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. It was proposed in March by the EPA and US Army Corps of Engineers.

The study was based on sampling conducted during the summer of 2013 at nearly 3,500 coastal and Great Lakes beaches in the United States. About 1 in 10 samples contained excessive levels of microscopic pathogens, industrial and agricultural chemicals, or sewage, the NRDC analysis reveals.

The report cites the Clean Water Protection Rule as the greatest opportunity to address discharge of pollutants into upstream waters that eventually flow into Americas beaches.

But in the longer term, the report stressed the importance of stormwater runoff, which washes over roads, buildings, parking lots, and lawns, where it picks up oil and grease, pesticides, and pollutants on its way to storm drains that empty into nearby waterways.

The most important long-term action to protect beachgoers is to adopt policies that address the sources of beach water pollution, particularly stormwater runoff, the report says.

The level of pollution in stormwater tends to correlate directly to the amount of concrete and pavement in the surrounding area. Sidewalks, roads, buildings, and parking lots all deflect rather than absorb rainwater, routing the water and any pollutants in its path into the nearest waterway.

While coastal counties represent just 17 percent of US land mass, they house more than half of the nations population, the NRDC reports. As more people move to coveted beach communities, the more built-up those areas become, which can lead to more asphalt and fewer wetlands.

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1 in 10 beach water samples is contaminated, report finds