U.S. beach water quality monitoring

Abstract

Coastal water quality is an important factor influencing public health and the quality of our nation’s beaches. In recent years, poor water quality has resulted in increased numbers of beach closures and corresponding negative impacts on tourism. This paper addresses some of the issues surrounding the management challenge of coastal water quality, in particular, beach water quality monitoring. For this effort, data on beach water quality monitoring activities conducted by states were assessed and synthesized. In total, 29 states were surveyed: 16 reported information for seawater; six reported for freshwater only; eight reported for both seawater and freshwater. Thresholds for advisories and closure vary nationally; however, all 29 states have established an online presence for their monitoring programs and display advisories and closures in real time, most often on spatial information (GIS) portals. Challenges in monitoring, prediction, and communication are assessed and discussed. Based on this assessment, the committee offers the following recommendations, as detailed in the text: • Standardization of water quality data and the distribution medium; • Enhanced public access to water quality monitoring data; • Consistent thresholds for swim advisories; • Water quality regulation reviews with stakeholder participation; • Enhanced predictive models incorporating rapid testing results; • Holistic water quality monitoring that includes indicators beyond fecal indicator bacteria; • Managing contaminants of emerging concern through identification, monitoring and control; and • Funding for water quality monitoring and reporting -- from federal, state, and local governments.