$630 Billion Wastewater Infrastructure Backlog Is Fueling America's Beach Bacteria Hot Spots

From the Potomac River to Hawai'i's Coasts, Failing Sewage Systems and Climate-Fueled Storms Are Polluting America's Beaches — and the Trump Administration's Proposed BEACH Act Cuts Would Leave Families in the Dark

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., May 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, the Surfrider Foundation is releasing its annual Clean Water Report, a comprehensive look at the state of America's coastal water quality and the wastewater infrastructure that increasingly cannot keep up. The 2025 report documents how an estimated $630 billion backlog in wastewater infrastructure repairs — paired with more frequent extreme weather and a federal proposal to eliminate the only dedicated federal program for beach water quality monitoring — is putting millions of beachgoers at risk.

More than 100 million visitors flock to America's beaches every year to enjoy the sand, sunshine, and water. Beyond rest and recreation, our coasts are the foundation of valuable coastal tourism and ocean recreation industries that sustain 2.5 million jobs and contribute $240 billion in gross domestic product to the national economy each year. Despite the immense value of these natural resources, the CDC estimates that more than 5 million people get sick from swimming in contaminated water each year — so while many of our beaches are safe to swim, Surfrider's 2025 data identifies some concerning beach pollution hot spots.

ACCESS SURFRIDER'S CLEAN WATER REPORT HERE

Aging Pipes, Bigger Storms

Beneath the postcard image of America's coastlines is a wastewater system in disrepair. Years of neglect and underfunding have left the country with an estimated $630 billion backlog in needed wastewater infrastructure repairs and upgrades. The result: over 900 billion gallons of untreated sewage pour into U.S. surface waters every year, and nearly 10 trillion gallons of untreated stormwater runoff carry road dust, oil, animal waste, fertilizers, and other chemicals into our waterways. The system's fragility was on full display on January 19, 2026, when a section of the Potomac Interceptor — a 72-inch sewer line built in 1962 — collapsed just upstream of Washington, D.C., releasing more than 240 million gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River in one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history. E. coli levels in the river spiked to hundreds of times above EPA safety thresholds, prompting recreational advisories across multiple downstream counties.

Climate change is making the problem worse. More frequent and more intense storms generate volumes of stormwater that overwhelm aging wastewater systems, triggering infrastructure failures and sewage spills. In March 2026, back-to-back Kona storms dropped a 1-in-1,000-year deluge — roughly 2 trillion gallons of water — across the Hawaiian Islands, with the summit of Haleakalā recording 33 inches of rain in 24 hours, nearly doubling the previous record. These kinds of storms that used to be rare are arriving more often, and the systems built to handle them weren't designed for this new climate reality.

10,157 Samples, 620 Beaches: Inside the Data

The encouraging news, captured in Surfrider's 2025 Clean Water Report, is that the majority of America's ocean beach sampling sites tested clean most of the time. But the data also reveals persistent "hot spots" where contamination is chronic — frequently at beaches the government doesn't test. The Blue Water Task Force, the largest volunteer-run beach water testing program in the United States, aims to fill in these testing gaps and processed 10,157 water samples at 620 locations through a national network of 60 chapter-led labs in 2025, working at more sampling sites and conducting more tests than in any previous year. Of those samples, 23% measured bacteria levels that exceeded state health standards for recreational waters. At 400 of the 620 beaches tested (65%), at least one sample failed to meet state health criteria over the course of the year. At two beaches in Hawai'i — Punalu'u Beach Park ("Chings") on O'ahu and the mouth of Moloa'a Stream on Kaua'i — 100% of samples collected by Surfrider volunteers failed.

"Most of America's ocean beaches test clean most of the time — but our data is revealing hot spots where families are being exposed to dangerous levels of bacteria, often in communities the government isn't testing," said Mara Dias, Surfrider's Clean Water Initiative Associate Director. "That's exactly the gap our chapters are stepping up to fill. From Imperial Beach to Honolulu, from Long Island to Puerto Rico, Surfrider volunteers are turning water quality data into positive action — bringing communities together, partnering with local leaders, and driving the pollution solutions our coastal economies and healthy beaches depend on. The Trump administration's proposal to eliminate the EPA's BEACH Act grants would leave families in the dark at exactly the wrong moment. But Congress is showing a better path forward: the U.S. House overwhelmingly passed the American Water Stewardship Act earlier this year by a bipartisan vote of 378 to 32 to reauthorize and modernize the BEACH Act for another five years. We're calling on the Senate to do the same — and inviting every beachgoer to join us in protecting the coasts we all love."

TELL YOUR SENATOR TO SUPPORT THE BEACH ACT

Filling the Gaps, Driving Solutions

Surfrider's community-driven work is delivering results from coast to coast. In Imperial Beach, California, Surfrider's Clean Border Water Now campaign has helped secure $604 million over the last two years to address the decades-long Tijuana River sewage crisis. Infrastructure solutions are now being implemented, and U. S. and Mexican officials are expanding their diplomatic and financial commitments to respond to this worsening public health and environmental catastrophe. In Manhattan Beach, decades of Blue Water Task Force monitoring data made the case for a major stormwater infiltration project — and after a successful city vote, construction is underway. In Hawai'i, the Kaua'i Chapter mobilized more than 100 community members to demand stronger bacteria limits in the renewal of the Wailua Wastewater Treatment Plant permit, prompting the County Council to open formal discussions on treatment upgrades; meanwhile, after years of chapter advocacy on cesspool pollution, HB1618 — which establishes a low-interest revolving loan fund for cesspool conversion — passed the Hawai'i Legislature in 2026 and awaits the Governor's signature.

In parallel with its water testing and advocacy work, Surfrider also leads the nationwide Ocean Friendly Gardens program, which advances nature-based solutions to soak up and filter polluted runoff before it reaches local waterways. In 2025, Surfrider chapters registered 49 Ocean Friendly Gardens covering 26.4 acres that collectively filter more than 23 million gallons of runoff each year — a small but growing piece of the larger climate-resilient infrastructure agenda that coastal communities urgently need.

Significant investments must be made now to prepare coastal communities for more extreme weather and to repair the wastewater systems already overwhelmed and failing. Congress should take immediate steps to push back against budget cuts proposed by President Trump's Administration and increase funding for important clean water programs at the EPA, like the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the BEACH Act grants program. Surfrider is urging supporters to contact their Senators in support of extending funding for the BEACH Act and to join their local chapter in the fight for clean water. Because no one should get sick from spending a day at the beach.

The full 2025 Clean Water Report is available at surfrider.org.

About the Surfrider Foundation

The Surfrider Foundation is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world's ocean, waves, and beaches for all people through a powerful activist network. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over one million supporters, activists, and members, with more than 250 volunteer-led chapters and student clubs in the U.S., and more than 1,000 victories protecting our coasts. Learn more at surfrider.org.

SOURCE Surfrider Foundation