Poop in the water? It might be a real problem at your favorite beach

There's gross, and then there's..... GROSS! This story deals with the latter.

Fecal contamination of our beaches may not be the topic we want to think about, but with tens of millions of people affected by illnesses due to swimming in contaminated water each year, it's something you shouldn't ignore.

Now, there's a new tool from an environmental group that you can use to determine the cleanliness levels of your favorite beach as it pertains to fecal contamination.

Safe for swimming?

With summer beach trips looming, Environment America's Research & Policy Center is now re-releasing its "Safe for Swimming?" report about fecal contamination bacteria at U.S. shores, which is often a result of sewer overflows and runoff pollution.

The most recent study (from 2025) warned that 61% of coastal and Great Lakes beaches tested had potentially unsafe contamination levels on one or more days in 2024.

The report’s homepage includes a newly updated drop-down menu with state links to current 2026 beach advisories and closures in each coastal and Great Lakes state.

What is the main cause of fecal contamination at US beaches?

"Generally, we know that sewage overflows, runoff pollution (and where relevant, manure from factory farms) all contain pathogens that can make swimmers sick," said Abby Longo of Environment America in an email to USA TODAY.

"The EPA collects information about causes linked to many, though not all beach safety notifications and beach closures across the country," she said. "The agency’s annual beach report includes this data, which is continuously updated as new data arrives from the states."

Beach pollution threatens our health

According to Environment America, swimming in contaminated water can cause gastrointestinal illness as well as respiratory disease, skin rash and ear and eye infections. Each year, there are an estimated 57 million cases of illness in the U.S. resulting from swimming in oceans, lakes, rivers and ponds. The vast majority of these illnesses go unreported.

Contaminated water can also trigger health warnings or closures that interfere with our ability to enjoy the beach. There were more than 7,563 health warnings or closures at U.S. coastal and Great Lakes beaches in 2024, affecting one out of every 15 swimming days, Environment America said.

Which beaches in the US were most contaminated? Which were the cleanest?

"Ultimately, our report does not rank beaches from best to worst, but the data do show that potentially unsafe conditions occur at many of our beaches far more frequently than we should accept," Longo told USA TODAY. "Our report shows the frequency with which indicator bacteria at beaches reaches levels that may put swimmers at risk."

But it does not show the severity of the pollution – this is important since beaches with higher levels of fecal contamination pose greater risk to swimmers than those with less pollution. In addition, some beaches are tested more frequently than others, or at different times.

Overall, "it isn’t possible to say from this data which beach is 'most contaminated' or 'least contaminated' but the data do show that potentially unsafe conditions occur at many of our beaches far more frequently than we should accept," Longo said.

What’s the main takeaway from this report?

That "all too often, pathogen pollution is putting swimmers’ health at risk," Longo said. "We are urging Congress to increase funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, so our communities will have the resources to fix sewer overflows and prevent runoff pollution."