Fecal Matters: The health of Washington beaches

There have been a number of health advisories issued for Washington beaches this year. A lot of people are wondering why and if this is typical.

This year there have been five health advisories issued due to high levels of fecal bacteria during routine testing. There have also been 11 closures to water contact at beaches affected by sewage spills. That is more than we have seen in the past few years at this point in the summer beach season.

How Washington beaches stack up

We collect data throughout the year and issue an annual health report for beaches. 

Ninety-five percent of beaches monitored received a passing grade in 2018, revealing that Washington's saltwater beaches are safe for swimming and recreational activities.

We have been monitoring water quality at beaches for 15 years. The number of monitored beaches that had less than two swimming closures or advisories improved by 19 percent over the last three years. 

Communities continue to replace old, failing septic systems and repair or improve infrastructure. Those efforts have a positive effect on water quality and can reduce high levels of bacteria in the water.

In 2018, Bay View State Park, Kayak Point County Park, and Sooes Beach had more than one sampling event in the advisory or closure range. For that reason, these three beaches were considered not passing beaches. 

BEACH partners work together to monitor water quality

From Memorial Day through Labor Day, our scientists and county and local BEACH partners collect water samples from 201 sites at 67 of Washington's most popular saltwater beaches. 

The water samples are tested for bacterial contamination. This information helps health officials issue swimming advisories to keep the public safe!

Water is tested for fecal bacteria

Local health departments, counties, tribes and volunteers collect water quality samples weekly or bi-weekly. The samples go to state accredited labs to be tested for enterococcus, a type of fecal bacteria. 

The fecal indicator enterococci is used, because this indicator better correlates with swimming-related illness than other fecal indicators, like fecal coliform or E.coli.

Issuing no-contact advisories

Water samples in a Quanti-Tray.

Like most states in the U.S., our BEACH Program makes decisions about water quality based on EPA's National Beach Guidance. Because we are part of a federal grant program to fund beach monitoring, we also use grant performance criteria as part of our decision-making process. 

When fecal bacteria levels exceed the EPA and grant performance criteria, we work with local health departments to issue a health advisory at the beach. Follow-up water samples are taken and if bacterial levels had dropped into the safe swimming range the advisory is lifted.

Ecology and EPA 2018 beach reports

Our 2018 health report shows how beaches performed. You'll find the top swimming beaches for water quality by county and beaches that did not meet swimming standards last year. You can read our 2018 beach water quality summary online.

EPA also prepares a national summary of beach closings and advisories that states, territories, and tribes issued during the 2018 swimming season as well as data trends from 2013 to 2018. 

Storm drains at shorelines
can be a source of bacteria.

According to EPA's report, the nation’s monitored coastal and Great Lakes beaches were open and safe for swimming 95 percent of the time during the 2018 swimming season, similar to previous years. You can read EPA’s BEACH Report: 2018 Swimming Season online. 

Sewage spills and combined sewer overflows

When counties notify the Washington BEACH Program team of a sewage spill, we work with the county to preemptively issue a closure to water contact at affected beaches because we know that sewage is in the water. Depending on the volume of the spill, these closures will usually stay in place from 3 – 7 days. 

Stay updated about water quality at your beaches by keeping up with us on our blog Fecal Matters, on Facebook, or join our listserv.


By Julianne Ruffner, BEACH program manager
Media contact: Camille St. Onge, 360-584-6501 or camille.st.onge@ecy.wa.gov
Contact Julianne at 360-407-6154 or julianne.ruffner@ecy.wa.gov for questions.

Fecal Matters: 2019 beach list open for public comment

Make a comment on this year's beach list!

The state’s BEACH Program will soon begin testing Washington’s most popular saltwater beaches for bacteria to help people avoid getting sick from playing in the water. This program is implemented by local health agencies, tribal nations, non-profits, and coordinated volunteer groups.

The proposed list of beaches that will be tested in 2019 can be found here: 2019 draft beach list

Testing will occur weekly or bi-weekly from Memorial Day through Labor Day. We are accepting public comments through May 3, 2019, on the proposed list of beaches to be tested.

More about BEACH

Learn about program updates, education, high bacteria counts, and beach closures by keeping up with us on Facebook, checking the beach closure map on Coastal Atlas, subscribing to our Fecal Matters RSS feed, or joining our email listserv. Contact BEACH Program Manager, Julianne Ruffner, with questions.

Fecal Matters: 2018 beach list available for your review

The state’s BEACH Program will soon begin testing the state’s most popular saltwater beaches for bacteria to help people avoid getting sick from playing in the water. The program is implemented by local health agencies, tribal nations, non-profits, and coordinated volunteers groups.

The proposed 2018 list of beaches that will be tested can be found here:

2018 draft beach list

Testing will occur weekly or bi-weekly from Memorial Day through Labor Day. We are accepting public comments on the proposed list of beaches to be tested until May 1, 2018.

Send your comments to julianne.ruffner@ecy.wa.gov, or call 360-407-6154.

More about BEACH

Learn about program updates, education, high bacteria counts, and beach closures by keeping up with us on Facebook, checking the beach closure map on Coastal Atlas, subscribing to our Fecal Matters RSS feed, or joining our email listserv. Contact BEACH Program Manager Julianne Ruffner with questions.

Fecal Matters: How'd your beach do in 2017?

Curious to see how your favorite beach fared for healthy swimming last year? See how the 2017 swimming season stacked up. In the BEACH Program 2017 Annual Report you'll find the top swimming beaches for water quality, beach water quality by county, and beaches that did not meet swimming standards.

Click to View the 2017 Annual BEACH Report

See the good, the best, and the "poopy" marine swimming beaches for last year. Did your favorite beach make the list for the top swimming beaches? Or, did it make the list of beaches that were closed to recreation due to high levels of fecal bacteria?

Why does it matter?

Anyone who uses marine beaches for recreational purposes such as swimming, scuba diving, surfing, or kayaking can be exposed to illness associated with water contaminated by sewage.

Contact with fecal contaminated waters can results in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections, and other illnesses. Children and the elderly may be more vulnerable to waterborne illnesses.

How does poop get in the water? 

Fecal bacteria get into the water in a number of ways. Some of it is natural, and a small amount of fecal bacteria does not pose a threat to public health.

Water at a beach can rise to an unhealthy level for many reasons. These include septic tanks that are not properly maintained, large amounts of sewage discharged from sewers overflowing during heavy rain or recreational boaters, wild animals congregating due to people feeding them, dogs pooping on beaches, used diapers being left on the beach, and others.

Click to learn how you can help keep your beach clean for swimming

More about BEACH

The Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication, and Health program, nicknamed BEACH for short, monitors marine beaches from Memorial Day to Labor Day. This program is a joint effort with the Washington State Department of Health, county and local agencies, tribal nations, and volunteers.

The BEACH program helps keep swimmers healthy on the coast and across Puget Sound by testing marine beaches for fecal bacteria and issuing public beach closure notices if the results show the water might pose a health risk. BEACH does not test freshwater beaches located on rivers and lakes.

Click here to see if your beach is open.
Remember, many beaches are only monitored Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Stay updated about water quality at your beaches by subscribing to our Fecal Matters RSS feed, checking the beach closure map on Coastal Atlas, or joining our email listserv. Contact BEACH program manager Julianne Ruffner with questions.

Fecal Matters: How'd your beach do in 2016?

Curious to see how your favorite beach fared for healthy swimming last year? See how the 2016 swimming season stacked up. In the BEACH Program 2016 Annual Report you'll find the top swimming beaches for water quality, beach water quality by county, and beaches that did not meet swimming standards.

Click to view the 2016 Annual BEACH Report

See the good, the best, and the "poopy" marine swimming beaches for last year. Did your favorite beach make the list for the top swimming beaches? Or, did it make the list of beaches that were closed to recreation due to high levels of fecal bacteria?

Why does it matter?

Anyone who uses marine beaches for recreational purposes such as swimming, scuba diving, surfing, or kayaking can be exposed to illness associated with water contaminated by sewage.

Contact with fecal contaminated waters can results in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections, and other illnesses. Children and the elderly may be more vulnerable to waterborne illnesses.

How does poop get in the water? 

Fecal bacteria get into the water in a number of ways. Some of it is natural, and a small amount of fecal bacteria does not pose a threat to public health.

Water at a beach can rise to an unhealthy level for many reasons. These include septic tanks that are not properly maintained, large amounts of sewage discharged from sewers overflowing during heavy rain or recreational boaters, wild animals congregating due to people feeding them, dogs pooping on beaches, used diapers being left on the beach, and others.

Click to learn how you can help keep your beach clean for swimming.

More about BEACH

The Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication, and Health program, nicknamed BEACH for short, monitors marine beaches from Memorial Day to Labor Day. This program is a joint effort with the Washington State Department of Health, county and local agencies, tribal nations, and volunteers.

The BEACH program helps keep swimmers healthy on the coast and across Puget Sound by testing marine beaches for fecal bacteria and issuing public beach closure notices if the results show the water might pose a health risk. BEACH does not test freshwater beaches located on rivers and lakes.

Click the map to see if your beach is open.
Remember, many beaches are only monitored Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Stay updated about water quality at your beaches by subscribing to our Fecal Matters RSS feed, checking the beach closure map on Coastal Atlas, or joining our email listserv. Contact BEACH program manager Julianne Ruffner with questions.

Comment now on the City of Elma’s proposed shoreline plan

The City of Elma’s proposed update to its Shoreline Master Program is ready for public comment now through September 8. The proposal would replace the city’s 1974 Shoreline Plan, and address uses and development along a mile of Cloquallum Creek.

What’s a Shoreline Master Program?

Shoreline Master Programs are local plans developed by cities and counties to manage shoreline use. These local programs protect natural resources for future generations, provide for public access to public waters and shores and plan for shoreline uses and development.

City of Elma’s shoreline plan

The City of Elma’s new shoreline plan establishes vegetative buffers to accommodate existing development, reflects the city’s underlying zoning and references a restoration plan that identifies potential future projects. Read the proposed SMP and several background documents here.

Paper copies of the proposal are available by contacting the City of Elma or Ecology Regional Planner Kim Van Zwalenburg at the address below.

All comments should be sent to Kim Van Zwalenburg. There are three ways to do it:

By email:  Kim.VanZwalenburg@ecy.wa.gov

By mail:    Southwest Regional Office
                  PO Box 47775
                  Olympia, WA 98504-7600

In person:  300 Desmond Drive
                   Lacey, WA 98503

The public can also call 360-407-6520 to comment and ask questions.

Ecology must receive comments no later than 5 p.m. on September 8, 2016.

Comment summaries and the city’s response will be posted to the City of Elma Shoreline Master Program page on Ecology’s website.

By: Dave Bennett, Soutwest Region communications manager

Fecal Matters: How'd your beach do in 2015?

Curious to see how your favorite beach fared for healthy swimming last year? See how the 2015 swimming season stacked up. In the BEACH Program 2015 Annual Report you'll find the top swimming beaches for water quality, beach water quality by county, and beaches that did not meet swimming standards.

View the BEACH Program 2015 Annual Report

See the good, the best, and the "poopy" marine swimming beaches for last year. Did your favorite beach make the list for the top swimming beaches? Or, did it make the list of beaches that were closed to recreation due to high levels of fecal bacteria?

Why does it matter?

Anyone who uses marine beaches for recreational purposes such as swimming, scuba diving, surfing or kayaking can be exposed to illness associated with water contaminated by sewage.

Contact with fecal contaminated waters can result in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses. Children and the elderly may be more vulnerable to waterborne illnesses.

How does poop get in the water?

Fecal bacteria get into the water in a number of ways. Some of it is natural, and a small amount of fecal bacteria does not pose a threat to public health.

Water at a beach can rise to an unhealthy level for many reasons. These include septic tanks that are not properly maintained, large amounts of sewage discharged from sewers overflowing during heavy rain or recreational boaters, wild animals congregating due to people feeding them, dogs pooping on beaches, used diapers being left on the beach, and others.

More about BEACH

The Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication, and Health program, nicknamed BEACH for short, monitors marine beaches from Memorial Day to Labor Day. This program is a joint effort with the Washington State Department of Health and county and local agencies, tribal nations, and volunteers.

The BEACH program helps keep swimmers healthy on the coast and across Puget Sound by testing marine beaches for fecal bacteria and issuing public beach closure notices if the results show the water might pose a health risk. BEACH does not test freshwater beaches located on rivers and lakes.

Click the map to see if your beach is open.
Remember, many beaches are only monitored Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Stay updated about water quality at your beaches by subscribing to our Fecal Matters RSS feed, checking the beach closure map on Coastal Atlas, or joining our listserv. Contact BEACH program manager Debby Sargeant with questions.

Fecal Matters: 2014 marine swimming beach results are in!

Curious to see how your favorite beach fared for healthy swimming last year? See how the 2014 swimming season stacked up. In the BEACH Program 2014 Annual Report you'll find the top swimming beaches for water quality, beach water quality by county, and beaches that did not meet swimming standards.

View the BEACH Program 2014 Annual Report

See the good, the best, and the "poopy" marine swimming beaches for 2014. Did your favorite beach make the list for the top swimming beaches? Or, did it make the list of beaches that were closed to recreation due to high levels of fecal bacteria?

Why does it matter?

Anyone who uses marine beaches for recreational purposes such as swimming, scuba diving, surfing or kayaking can be exposed to illness associated with water contaminated by sewage. Contact with fecal contaminated waters can result in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses. Children and the elderly may be more vulnerable to waterborne illnesses.

How does poop get in the water?

Fecal bacteria get into the water in a number of ways. Some of it is natural, and a small amount of fecal bacteria does not pose a threat to public health. Water at a beach can rise to an unhealthy level for many reasons.

These include septic tanks that are not properly maintained, large amounts of sewage discharged from sewers overflowing during heavy rain or recreational boaters, wild animals congregating due to people feeding them, dogs pooping on beaches, used diapers being left on the beach, and others. Learn how you can help keep your beach clean on our website.

More about BEACH

The Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication, and Health program, nicknamed BEACH for short, monitors marine beaches from Memorial Day to Labor Day. This program is a joint effort with the Washington State Department of Health and county and local agencies, tribal nations, and volunteers.

The BEACH program helps keep swimmers healthy on the coast and across Puget Sound by testing marine beaches for fecal bacteria and issuing public beach closure notices if the results show the water might pose a health risk. BEACH does not test freshwater beaches located on rivers and lakes.

Click the map to see if your beach is open.
Remember, many beaches are only monitored Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Stay updated about water quality at your beaches by subscribing to our Fecal Matters RSS feed, checking the beach closure map on Coastal Atlas, or joining our listserv. You can contact the BEACH program manager Debby Sargeant with questions.

Eyes Over Puget Sound wings to outer coast of Washington

By Sandy Howard, Communications Manager, Environmental Assessment Program

Our scientists caught this bird's eye view of Long Beach Peninsula.  

We flew out to Washington’s outer coast last Monday, with stops at Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. We think you'll enjoy our newest set of photos and observations.

A cold spell has hit Puget Sound lowlands. Now, the warm ocean is coinciding with the warmest water temperatures achieved by Puget Sound in October. 

Hood Canal’s higher dissolved oxygen and cold water anomalies are disappearing. 

November brings cold water from Whidbey Basin into Puget Sound with moderate levels of chlorophyll fluorescence. 

We saw big smacks of jellyfish in finger inlets of South Sound.  Red-brown blooms remain strong in smaller bays of South Sound.  We also saw visible suspended sediments in the coastal estuaries from rain, wind, and waves. 

If you are a hearty soul and you are playing in the water this season, visit our BEACH program website.

Eyes Over Puget Sound combines high-resolution photo observations with satellite images, en route ferry data between Seattle and Victoria BC, and measurements from our moored instruments.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and on our website.

Sign up to receive email notifications about the latest Eyes Over Puget Sound by subscribing to Ecology’s email listserv.

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Fecal Matters: How we’re protecting your summer beach experience

Len Adams and Janice Jensen of Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

By Sandy Howard, communication manager, Environmental Assessment Program

The next time you get your feet wet at any of our state’s popular saltwater beaches, you might want to know that there are people working behind-the-scenes to keep the water healthy for you and your friends and family.

It’s a behind-the-scenes, little-known service we provide.

We think it’s an important story to tell.

During the past year, the Washington state BEACHProgram and its local partner, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, discovered a significant fecal bacteria problem in Puget Sound’s Marine Park near the Les Davis Pier on the Ruston Way waterfront.

Why it matters

This is a big deal for you because if you come in contact with fecal-contaminated waters, you can get a bad stomach ache called gastroenteritis. You could also get skin rashes, upper respiratory infections, or other illnesses. Children and the elderly may be more vulnerable to waterborne illnesses.

Did you know?

The state’s BEACH Program this summer is testing 58 of the state’s most popular saltwater beaches for bacteria to help people avoid getting sick from playing in the water.

The federally funded, state-run BEACH (Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication and Health) Program notifies the public when beaches are a health risk and educates people about ways to avoid getting sick from playing in saltwater.

BEACH enlists help from many partners, mostly local health departments, to collect water samples and get them laboratory tested.

When BEACH finds bacteria problems, BEACH not only protects the public by notifying them about closures, but it works with local jurisdictions to clean up the area.

A real example

Just about a year ago, on May 24, 2013, through BEACH, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department issued a no-contact advisory for the waters at Cummings Park and Marine Park along Ruston Way in Tacoma due to high bacteria counts.

The public was warned to make no contact with water until further notice.This was a big deal. The waters here are popular for scuba diving and paddle boarding.

To its credit, the city of Tacoma, in coordination with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, got busy and quickly found the source of the problem. It turned out that there was a blocked sewage pipe that was serving several homes located on the hillside above Marine Park.

“We work very hard to protect water quality,” said Tacoma Environmental Services Director Mike Slevin. “Once alerted we were able to respond and fix issues and concerns very quickly.”

The clogged pipe had been clogged for some time. By the time the sewage sleuthing ended, the city identified a large area of land that needed to be cleaned up, including land owned and operated by a railroad company.

Debby Sargeant, who runs the BEACH Program, said: “The sewage overflow was going into a ditch line alongside the railroad tracks.”

Thankfully, BEACH and their local partners found the problem.

In early October 2013, the city of Tacoma cleaned the sewage spill by removing soils.

It was costly, but the health department received $5,600 in National Estuary Program (NEP) funds to help pay for its routine sampling at Ruston, as well investigation and coordination work regarding the sewage overflow. The funding also helped pay for other community outreach efforts.

The beach is open to the public and the Health Department has removed the advisory signs.

All is well now, so we can play once again in these waters.

You can thank your government – it stepped in to protect us.

Learn more

You can follow the latest beach closure at Ecology’s Twitter handle @ecologyWA

Sign up to receive BEACH’s email alerts at:  http://listserv.wa.gov/cgi-bin/wa?A0=BEACH or follow our blog series,“Fecal Matters,” which contains the latest information about saltwater beach closures and openings.

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