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Beach Sampling Along the Mid-Atlantic Coast
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Many of the microorganisms in beach water that cause illness come from the feces of humans and other warm-blooded animals, including birds. The wastes can come from:
- sewage discharged through pipes into the ocean (this can happen when treatment systems get overloaded),
- wastes dumped by boaters, from failed septic systems (cesspools), from rainwater carrying animal wastes (from farms, pets, and wildlife), and from other bathers.
Highest levels of microorganisms are often found after a heavy rain. The microorganisms can enter the body in many ways, including through the eyes and skin, by breathing in the salt spray, or by swallowing the water. They can cause earaches, headaches, nausea, diarrhea, fever, skin rashes, and respiratory problems. The elderly, small children, and people with compromised immune systems (such as people with AIDS and people undergoing cancer treatments) are most at risk.
Since it may take a few days to feel sick, sometimes people don't think it was the beach water that caused their illness. And, since the symptoms are often mild, people may not go to their doctor, and, if they do, the doctor usually is in their hometown, not at the beach. So, it can be a challenge to really know how many people have gotten sick because of contact with ocean water.
Because it is difficult to analyze for all of the organisms that might be in the ocean water, tests are done for "indicator" organisms, such as enterococci. It usually takes 24 to 48 hours to get test results. While scientists are working to invent tests that give instant, reliable results at a cost-effective price, none are yet available.
EPA’s mid-Atlantic Regional office oversees beach conditions along the Atlantic Ocean off of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The Great Lakes National Program Office of EPA oversees water quality in the Great Lakes, although the mid-Atlantic Regional office oversees beach conditions along Lake Erie in Pennsylvania.
State and local governments are generally responsible for testing beach water and telling the public when conditions are unsafe for swimming. In the past, local programs varied widely. The BEACH Act, enacted in 2000, is helping to standardize programs in line with the National Beach Guidance and Performance Criteria for Recreational Waters. For the last several years, grants have been given to eligible states to help them improve their programs. Because the Beach Act includes the Great Lakes in its definition of "recreational" beaches, Pennsylvania receives funding, in addition to Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, in the mid-Atlantic region.