Most Texas beaches pose safety risks due to high fecal bacteria levels, report says

Some popular Texas beaches are contaminated with high levels of fecal bacteria, making them potentially unsafe for swimming, according to a new report.

Nonprofit group Environment Texas found that 90% of Texas beaches tested in 2022 for fecal bacteria tested positive at least one day.

Pathogens in fecal matter pose a health risk to swimmers, sometimes forcing beaches to close for public safety. Each year, millions get sick in the U.S. from swimming in oceans, lakes, rivers and ponds, with most cases going unreported. Varying from mild to more serious, illnesses include nausea, diarrhea, ear infections and rashes.

Environment Texas tested 61 beaches across the state. Of those, 55 tested positive for fecal contamination at least one day, meaning they exceeded the safety threshold set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Eight beaches exceeded the EPA’s threshold more than 25% of testing days.

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Those beaches include Cole Park in Corpus Christi, which tested positive for fecal contamination on 54% of days, Ropes Park in Corpus Christi (41%), and Texas City Dike in Galveston Bay (28%), according to the report.

Sylvan Beach Park in La Porte tested positive for fecal contamination 21% of the days, and Galveston’s Seawall Boulevard at 25th Street tested positive 26% of the days.

Fecal matter washes into the ocean from a variety of sources, including urban development, sewage overflows, factory farms and livestock operations.

To reduce contamination, the report recommends major financial investments to stop sewage overflows and runoff pollution. Environment Texas noted that a massive infrastructure package passed in 2021 provides $11.7 billion for sewage and stormwater projects, but the EPA has estimated the need is roughly $271 billion.

“Now is the time to fix our water infrastructure and stop the flow of pathogens to our beaches,” Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas, said in a statement.

Nationwide, 55% of beaches exceeded the EPA’s safety threshold at least once last year, according to the report. Roughly 84% of Gulf Coast beaches tested positive at least once.

Louisiana and Pennsylvania reported the highest rates of contamination, with 100% of beaches exceeding the threshold at least one day. Other states with higher contamination rates than Texas were Ohio (96%), and Illinois and Mississippi (both 95%).

Swimmers should check TexasBeachWatch.com for water quality reports, and avoid swimming with open wounds and near storm drain outfalls.