NEW YORK — A favorite way to beat the summer heat is to cool off on various shorelines, from lakes to oceans, but a startling new report might make you think twice about taking the plunge.
About half of the nation’s beaches were found to be potentially unsafe last year due to fecal contamination levels with at least one day exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Beach Action Value,” a preventative tool for measuring bacteria, according to a report from Environment America.
According to the data collected, one in nine shorelines had hazardous feces on at least 25% of the days the tests were completed. The Gulf Coast proved the dirtiest with over 80% of the shoreline polluted with the West Coast and the Great Lakes lagging behind.
While the results vary by state, New York wins the most dangerous place among the neighbors of the three states, followed by New Jersey and Connecticut.
Nearly 350 beaches in New York were tested for fecal bacteria, and more than half met unsafe standards within the Great Lakes and Long Island. The main questionable shorelines were Ontario Beach in Monroe County and Tanner Beach in Suffolk County.
Atlantic County in NJ and Fairfield County in Connecticut had the potentially most alarming days last year.
Bacteria surges can come from sources such as sewage overflow, polluted stormwater, and decaying infrastructure that helps untreated sludge enter waterways.
About 90 million cases of disease due to aquatic recreation occur across the country at costs of up to $3.7 billion annually, according to an Environmental Health study. Nearly 60% of these illnesses are attributed to swimming, but many similar ailments go unreported.
Gastrointestinal, nose and respiratory problems are common when playing in problematic lakes, oceans, rivers and ponds.
For Environment America, some of the best ways to improve beach water quality are to invest in natural infrastructure, upgrade sewer systems, and enact moratoriums on large-scale livestock operations.
2023-07-12 02:37:54
#Report #Beaches #Deemed #Potentially #Unsafe #Due #Fecal #Contamination
