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Nearly two in three of America's beaches saw potentially dangerous contamination last year
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with an emphasis on the number two. A report from Environment America looked at more than 3,000 beaches all around the country
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The report showed 61 percent of beaches experienced at least one day
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where indicators of fecal contamination exceeded federal safety levels. The most contaminated area was the Gulf Coast
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where 84 percent of beaches were at unsafe levels for at least a day. That's followed by the West
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Coast, Great Lakes, East Coast, and then Alaska and Hawaii, which came in as the cleanest
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The dirtiest beach was in San Diego, where Imperial Beach City Beach tested unsafe on nearly every
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test day. Much of this contamination comes from sewer system overflows and runoff from developments
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Potential issues from swimming in contaminated waters include stomach and intestinal issues
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skin rashes and more. The Clean Water Revolving State Fund aims to provide funding to states to
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fix these issues. However, the federal budget bill cut 89 percent of funding for that program
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For Straight Arrow News, I'm Lauren Keenan. If you want more on this story, download the Straight Arrow News app or visit san.com
