As the Labor Day holiday weekend approaches, beaches across the United States are facing swimming caution advisories due to elevated levels of bacteria associated with fecal waste. It’s the weekend most Americans head to the coast to celebrate the last days of summer. This increase has many worried about the safety of our waters and the people that recreate on our beaches.
New research released by the Environment America Research & Policy Center tells a troubling story. A shocking 61% of United States beaches tested experienced at least one day of unsafe levels of fecal contamination. The report released in July 2025 tells a disturbing story. It means that 453 of these beaches failed to meet health standards for swimming on over 25% of the days tested. This deeply concerning data further underscores the persistent and dangerous problem of water quality at our most cherished recreation sites.
Advisories as of Wednesday morning are still in effect from Crystal River, Florida north to Ogunquit, Maine. High-profile beach closures have dotted the summer, with prominent examples including Keyes Memorial Beach in Barnstable, Massachusetts, and Benjamin’s Beach on Long Island, New York. Today, officials are still working to remediate sources of contamination. Consequently, they have shuttered much of the Imperial Beach shoreline south of San Diego.
Bacteria contamination in our waters leads to dangerous health risks including skin infections and respiratory problems. These concerns range from gastrointestinal disease, cutaneous rashes, to nausea. Environment America’s clean water director, John Rumpler, recently catalogued the dangers we are living. Mr. Nagle underscored the importance of keeping our waters safe to swim.
“Enjoying the fresh sea breeze and splash of waves at the beach is a highlight of the summer for many Americans, but pollution still plagues too many of the places where we swim,” – John Rumpler
The organization recommends beachgoers avoid swimming for 72 hours after significant rain storms. Stormwater runoff — especially after a hard rain — can significantly increase concentrations of contaminants in the water. Rumpler encourages people to go a step further by looking up possible contamination problems at the beach they plan to visit.
Beachgoers are always urged to use common sense and not go in the water if it looks dirty, muddy or smells bad. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides a great resource to do just that—the Beacon tool. BeachGoers Users can find real-time contamination and advisory information for beaches along their route or before they start planning their trip.
“Now is not the time to slash the water infrastructure funding that communities sorely need to stop the flow of nasty bacteria and pollution to our beaches,” – John Rumpler