Surfrider Foundation's Clean Water Report Highlights America's Beach Bacteria Hotspots

80% of Beaches Tested Failed To Meet State Health Standards at Least Once in 2024

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start to summer, the Surfrider Foundation is releasing its annual Clean Water Report to help keep you and your family safe at the beach. This comprehensive annual report showcases three key elements: the achievements of Surfrider's Blue Water Task Force and Ocean Friendly Gardens programs; case studies of Surfrider chapters using these programs to solve local pollution problems; and Surfrider's top ten beach bacteria hot spots — popular recreational beaches where testing consistently reveals dangerous levels of fecal bacteria that threaten the health of swimmers, surfers, and families.

Americans love the beach. More than 100 million beachgoers flock to U.S. beaches every year to enjoy the sand, sunshine, and water. Not only do our beaches provide an opportunity for rest and relaxation, but they are also the foundation of valuable coastal tourism and ocean recreation industries that sustain 2.5 million jobs nationwide and contribute $240 billion in gross domestic product to the national economy each year. Despite the inherent value of our nation's coastal resources, the CDC estimates that more than 5 million people get sick from swimming in contaminated water each year.

Surfrider's data clearly demonstrates why: 80% of the beaches tested (483 of 604) exceeded state health standards at least once in 2024, and 25% of all samples measured high bacteria levels, up from 22% in 2023.

ACCESS SURFRIDER'S CLEAN WATER REPORT HERE

Since the Surfrider Foundation was founded in 1984, improving coastal water quality has been one of its top priorities. Through its Clean Water Initiative, Surfrider strives to protect water quality and reduce pollution so it is safe for you and your family to surf, swim, and play in our ocean and coastal waterways. Surfrider's Blue Water Task Force is the largest volunteer-run beach water testing program in the U.S., with a national network of 60 chapter-led labs that process over 10,000 water samples to measure bacteria levels at more than 600 locations across the country.

Nearly 10 trillion gallons of untreated stormwater runoff flow into U.S. waterways every year, carrying a cocktail of pollutants including road dust, oil, animal waste, fertilizers, and other chemicals. Years of neglect and underfunding have also left America's outdated wastewater infrastructure in disrepair, threatening coastal water quality by discharging raw and undertreated sewage into our local waterways and ocean at a rate of over 900 billion gallons every year. This untreated sewage can contain bacteria, viruses, and parasites that make people sick with gastrointestinal symptoms, rashes, skin and eye infections, flu-like symptoms, and worse. Sewage and stormwater runoff also pollute waterways with excess nutrients, wreaking havoc on coastal ecosystems by fueling harmful algal blooms that put human health at risk and result in fish kills, coral reef die-offs, and even the mass starvation of endangered manatees in Florida's Indian River Lagoon.

"Everyone deserves access to clean water to surf, swim, and play in. That's why Surfrider advocates for strong laws and sufficient funding to monitor and protect water quality. We ensure that people have access to the information they need to protect themselves and the health of their families when recreating at the beach and in our coastal waterways," explains Mara Dias, Surfrider's Water Quality Initiative Senior Manager. "When we see information gaps in government testing programs that leave public health unprotected, we seek to meet those community needs with our Blue Water Task Force water quality monitoring program. And when more collaborative approaches fail, the Surfrider Foundation has the expertise to bring issues to the courts to ensure proper enforcement of the Clean Water Act to protect clean water for all people."

The Surfrider Foundation is not only testing the water, but it is also leading the nationwide Ocean Friendly Gardens program that is educating communities and local officials on the actions that can be taken in yards and neighborhoods to reduce the amount of polluted runoff that flows into our waterways and out to the ocean.

Stormwater runoff has long been the number one cause of beach closures and swimming advisories in the U.S. However, more frequent extreme weather events along our coasts caused by climate change are generating massive amounts of stormwater that overwhelm our wastewater systems, causing infrastructure failures and sewage spills with increasing frequency. Unfortunately, the President's budget proposal for next year (FY2026) eliminates all funding for the EPA's BEACH Act Grants program that funds beach water quality monitoring and public notification programs in 35 coastal states and territories — which could leave families completely blind to pollution issues at America's beaches. Significant investments need to be made now to prepare our coastal communities to become more resilient and to better manage our water resources, because no one should get sick from spending a day at the beach.

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 200 volunteer-led chapters and student clubs in the U.S., and more than 900 victories protecting our coasts. Learn more at surfrider.org.

SOURCE Surfrider Foundation