Latest news with #JohnRumpler
New York Post
08-07-2025
- Health
- New York Post
More than half of East Coast beaches tested positive for fecal contamination, shocking new study reveals — how did your vacation spot do?
Hold your nose — and maybe hold off on that beach day. More than 60% of U.S. beaches tested in 2024 had at least one day where the water was so full of fecal bacteria that it failed federal safety standards, according to a new report by Environment America's Research & Policy Center. That's 1,930 beaches out of 3,187 that were dirtier than your dog after a mud run. Advertisement The top offenders? The Gulf Coast, where a whopping 84% of beaches had at least one 'poo-lution' problem day, followed by the West Coast (79%) and the Great Lakes (71%). The East Coast didn't exactly sparkle — 54% were flagged for contamination. Only Alaska and Hawaii offered a relatively clean sweep, with just 10% of beaches testing unsafe. Advertisement 3 So much for West Coast beaches being cleaner than the East Coast. Christopher Sadowski How bad is it? Nearly 1 in 7 beaches showed potentially dangerous levels of fecal contamination on a quarter of all testing days, the report found. And the fun doesn't stop at dirty data. Swimming in these murky waters could bring a not-so-sunny side of summer — think gastrointestinal illnesses, respiratory issues, ear infections, and skin rashes. The report estimates 57 million related cases hit Americans each year, most of which go unreported — or unremembered once the vacation tan fades. 'Enjoying the fresh sea breeze and splash of waves at the beach is a highlight of the summer for many Americans,' said John Rumpler, clean water director for Environment America Research & Policy Center. 'But pollution still plagues too many of the places where we swim.' Advertisement As previously reported by The Post, New York's own Windmill Beach in Sag Harbor made national headlines for being one of the top 10 most bacteria-ridden beaches in the country — with a stomach-churning 43% contamination rate. It's not the Hamptons souvenir you want to bring home. 3 Nearly 1 in 7 beaches tested dirty on at least 25% of the days sampled — meaning swimmers had a 1-in-4 shot of wading into a bacterial brew. Christopher Sadowski In fact, over half of New York's beaches were found to be contaminated with poop or sewage last year, according to a previous Environment America report. Déjà poo, anyone? Advertisement Adding insult to injury? Federal funding to fix this mess is circling the drain. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which helps communities upgrade aging sewer and stormwater systems, needs $630 billion over the next two decades, per the EPA. But the White House's 2026 budget proposal would slash it. '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,' Rumpler warned. And it's not just the infrastructure getting flushed — beachgoers themselves aren't helping. 3 Beachgoers aren't helping this gross situation by peeing in the ocean. NurPhoto via Getty Images As The Post previously dished, a staggering 70% of Americans admit to peeing in the ocean, and 1 in 4 admit to littering, even though 82% say it's the most annoying beach behavior. So before you cannonball into your local shoreline this summer, maybe check if it's a splash zone — or a crap trap.
The Hill
08-07-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Nearly two-thirds of US beaches saw fecal contamination last year: Report
As Americans flock to the country's coasts — and to the lakes and rivers in between — in the heat of summer, they may be doing so despite the presence of fecal matter. A stark 1,930 out of 3,187 beaches sampled across the nation in 2024 experienced at least one day on which indicators of fecal contamination exceeded federal safety levels, a new report has revealed. Those beaches, about 61 percent of those tested, surpassed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) most protective 'Beach Action Value,' a precautionary tool states can utilize to make closure decisions. One in seven beaches — 453 of those sampled — showed potentially unsafe fecal contamination on at least 25 percent of the days on which testing occurred, according to the report, related by Environment America's Research & Policy Center. The Gulf Coast had the biggest share of beaches with at least on unsafe day in 2024, reaching 84 percent, followed by the West Coast, with 79 percent, and the Great Lakes, with 71 percent. The East Coast fared a bit better, with 54 percent, while just 10 percent of Alaska and Hawaii's beaches had an unsafe day. Swimming in contaminated water, the report authors warned, can cause gastrointestinal illnesses, respiratory diseases, ear and eye infections and skin rashes. Each year, they noted, there are about 57 million cases of related illnesses nationwide, although the vast majority go unreported. Last year, there were more than 7,563 health warnings or closures at U.S. coastal and Great Lakes beaches alone — impacting one out of every 15 swimming days, federal data showed. The data presented in the report, which came from the National Water Quality Monitoring Council's Water Quality Portal, included samples for spots deemed 'historical' under the October 2000 Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH Act). The authors considered beach sites 'potentially unsafe' if test results exceeded an EPA illness rate threshold of 32 per 1,000 swimmers As American beachgoers continue to face potentially widespread contamination, the researchers noted that Congress is reconsidering funding for the main federal program focused on stopping sewage overflows. The EPA last year reported that this program, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, will need at least $630 billion over the next two decades to provide sufficient treatment to the country's wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. But that same fund could face steep cuts under the White House's 2026 budget proposal. '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,' report co-author John Rumpler, clean water director for Environment America Research & Policy Center, said in a statement. '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,' he added.
