Environment America has re-released its “Safe for Swimming?” report, updated with a state-by-state drop-down linking to 2026 beach advisories and closures. The group warns that fecal contamination—often tied to sewer overflows and runoff—has shown potentially
For beachgoers, the question isn’t just whether the water looks inviting. It’s whether it’s safe—especially when fecal contamination can be present without obvious signs. With summer travel ramping up. Environment America has put a new way to check that risk in front of the public through an updated online tool.
Environment America’s Research & Policy Center is re-releasing its “Safe for Swimming?” report on fecal contamination bacteria at U.S. shores. The group says the contamination is often driven by sewer overflows and runoff pollution.
The latest study cited in the report is from 2025, looking back at 2024 data. It 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 website now includes a newly updated drop-down menu with state links. Those links point to current 2026 beach advisories and closures across each coastal and Great Lakes state.
Abby Longo. of Environment America. said in an email that sewage overflows and runoff pollution are key pathways for pathogens that can make swimmers sick. She also noted that where relevant, manure from factory farms can contribute. She added that the Environmental Protection Agency collects information about causes linked to many—though not all—beach safety notifications and closures. and that the EPA’s annual beach report includes this information as states submit new data.
Swimming in contaminated water, the group says, can lead to gastrointestinal illness as well as respiratory disease. It can also cause skin rash and ear and eye infections.
Environment America estimates that each year there are 57 million cases of illness in the U.S. connected to swimming in oceans, lakes, rivers, and ponds. The group also says most of those illnesses go unreported.
The problem can also show up as an interruption to summer plans. Environment America reported there were more than 7,563 health warnings or closures at U.S. coastal and Great Lakes beaches in 2024. It says that works out to one out of every 15 swimming days being affected.
Longo said the report does not rank beaches from best to worst. Instead. she said the underlying data show that potentially unsafe conditions occur at many beaches far more often than communities should accept. She pointed to frequency—how often indicator bacteria reaches levels that may put swimmers at risk—rather than a single overall score.
She stressed a limit of the information: the data do not show how severe the pollution is. Beaches with higher levels of fecal contamination pose greater risk than those with less pollution. Testing also varies—some beaches are tested more frequently than others, and sometimes at different times.
Taken together, the report’s numbers make one thing clear: potentially unsafe conditions are not rare exceptions across the shoreline. Longo said that from this dataset. it isn’t possible to identify which beach is “most contaminated” or “least contaminated. ” but she maintained that the conditions appear often enough to demand action.
In her view, the main takeaway is that “all too often, pathogen pollution is putting swimmers’ health at risk.” The group is urging Congress to increase funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund—money intended to help communities fix sewer overflows and prevent runoff pollution.
beach safety fecal contamination Environment America Safe for Swimming report sewer overflows runoff pollution Clean Water State Revolving Fund EPA beach advisories Great Lakes beaches