Beware of the beach

Nearly 85% of Texas beaches were found to be unsafe for swimming on at least one day in 2018 because of high levels of fecal bacteria, according to a study released earlier this week by an environmental nonprofit group.

The Environment Texas Research and Policy Center looked at fecal bacteria levels at 167 beach sites across the state and found that 141 of them were unsafe on at least one day last year. The most unsafe beach was found to be in Cole Park in Nueces County, which had bacteria levels taken at one site high enough to put swimmers at risk for 52 of 64 days tested, the study found.

Ten sites were unsafe on at least a quarter of the days tested, including Gulf Coast shorelines in La Porte in Harris County, Texas City in Galveston County and in Corpus Christi in Nueces County.

Sites considered potentially unsafe had bacteria levels that exceeded a threshold set by the Environmental Protection Agency that is associated with an illness rate of 32 per 1,000 swimmers.

The study found that in Chambers County, east of Houston, the average beach was potentially unsafe for swimming on 44% of the days sampling took place, which is a higher percentage than any other county in the state.

“Swimming at the beach is a prime summertime joy for so many Texans, but clearly we have more work to do to make sure water at all our beaches is safe,” Jen Schmerling, deputy director of Environment Texas, said in a statement Tuesday. “We must invest in water infrastructure that prevents pollution to ensure that America’s waterways are safe for swimming.”

The study calls for increased investment in public infrastructure to fix aging and leaking sewage systems, which often contribute to fecal contamination in the water, as well as green infrastructure to prevent storm water pollution.

Fecal bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illness. According to a 2017 study published in Environment Health, an estimated 57 million people in the U.S. get sick each year from polluted water. Common sources of pollution include storm water runoff and sewage overflows, Environment Texas said.

Swimmers looking to gauge the safety of Texas beaches before they dip their toes in the water can check texasbeachwatch.com, which gives information by the day. On Wednesday, Palacios Pavilion and Jetty Park on Matagorda Bay, Sargent Beach in Bay City and several beaches on Galveston Bay were reporting high levels of fecal bacteria.