Sun, Sand and Sewage: Report shows 60% of American beaches are unsafe for swimming.
A new analysis details widespread bacterial contamination at U.S. beaches. Of the more than 4,500 beaches sampled in 2018, nearly 60% had potentially unsafe levels of disease-causing fecal bacteria.
The report, published Tuesday by think tanks Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group, highlights the threat that urban runoff, sewage overflows and industrial livestock operations pose to America’s shorelines and public health.
When I visited California ocean beaches in 2015, white sand was covered with gooey blobs of oil tar that stuck to your feet. Oil derricks were a mile offshore.
The Columbia River is so badly polluted with infectious bacteria and mining waste, it is unsafe to eat the fish or swim in it. Also, underground radioactive storage tanks are leaking at Hanford Nuclear Reservation into the Columbia River.
Yet people still fish and swim in the Columbia River.
In 2016, a British Columbia judge issued a $3.4 million fine to Teck Mining for polluting the Columbia River for over 100 years.
In 1999, Christopher Swain developed a crush on a river. He was living in Eugene, Oregon and became fascinated with the Columbia River, which runs from the wilds of Canada into the Pacific Ocean northwest of Portland.
When Lewis and Clark explored the Pacific Northwest, the river was 'clear at any depth', no pollution, no dams, and full of fish. Christopher saw that the river had been abused and contaminated over the years, and wanted to do something to help.
He decided to swim the entire length of the Columbia River to draw attention to its plight. Although he took antibiotics, Christopher was sick during his entire swim.
9
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11 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I think that they process some of the water from lakes and rivers and recycle it back through us for drinking. And use the water to grow the food we eat too.
The oceans are really polluted from ships dumping trash and sewage overboard. And oil spills,and radiation leaks like Fukushima. That is probably still leaking. And a lot of underwater noise pollution too from off shore drilling and sonar waves and a lot of other noisy things.Sound waves and vibrations can travel a ways in water.That's how dolphins and whales communicate. It is probably driving them nuts. No wonder they are beaching themselves. Maybe they will grow legs and evolve so they can walk on the land, and get out of the water.
Gemini-1947
Level 7
July 24, 2019
1
if i want to swim i'll go down to our beach ( 10 min walk) on the pacific where the water is changed twice daily by the tides.
callmedubious
Level 8
July 24, 2019
0
The ocean is not a toilet.
When I visited California Pacific Ocean beaches in 2015, white sand was covered with gooey blobs of oil tar that stuck to your feet. Oil derricks were a mile offshore.
@LiterateHiker ,
enjoyed walking on some CA beaches. in particular Monterey & Santa Barbara. never noticed any oil blobs although there are derricks offshore of both beaches.
if one swims in any body of water one has no idea what one is swallowing. i read somewhere that a teaspoon of seawater can contain millions of viruses.
when i was a kid i used to swim in the st. lawerence river in montreal. can't even imagine what was in that water flowing from all the cities & industries on the great lakes. doubt if water samples were ever tested back then. but when we're young our immune systems are strong & never heard of anyone getting sick from swimming there.
In the Montreal area, after decades of investments in sewage treatment improvements, some public beaches have started to re-open on the banks of the Saint-Lawrence river. I went swimming in Verdun this year and in Longueuil last year.
QuidamOutrepont
Level 8
July 23, 2019
1
when i was a kid in ville lasalle in the 1950s we swam in the st lawrence .
lots of fun seeing how close we could get to the lachine rapids without getting caught in the current.
I don't think that there is a lake, river, stream, or pond in Ohio that's safe to swim in.
bigpawbullets
Level 9
July 23, 2019
2
The long history of profits over the environment is disgusting. The gold strike in '49 destroyed the salmon runs on the Sacremento River in CA and during drought the mercury that has settled in the river is exposed and the levels in the San Fransisco Bay rise.
silverotter11
Level 9
July 23, 2019
3
Varn:
Sacramento had a salmon run? …both fascinating, and depressing..
@Varn Yes, the 1848-1855 gold rush brought 300,000 prospectors to CA and ruin the fishing on the Sacremento River, yeas salmon spawned there at one time, it is still very heavily polluted with mercury. 
Varn:
@silverotter11 Tragic.. I grew up on salmon in Oregon, spent countless hours fishing for them … but had never heard of any ‘runs’ in CA. Gone before my time, for gold..
@Varn Yeah, I had a go round with a person who's family settled in the Cle Elum area around 1880. Fish and wild life along with the Yakima Nation have been trying to restore salmon runs on the upper Yakima River. It required moving camping areas away from the smaller tributaries and this person said there has never been salmon that far up, they can't get over the falls. Well I pointed out that the native people summered up there and it is called Salmon la Sac but the runs were decimated by the 1860's when the white man started netting salmon at the mouth of the Columbia River. There WERE salmon until the white man showed up.
Have you also been hearing the NPR tease of, “one in 4 adults (Americans I presume) admit to peeing in swimming pools?” I’ve a few local creeks I’m even fearful of … cryptosporidium is nobody’s friend..
And regarding the Columbia (River) … I stopped going in there when learning of it’s elevated levels of radiation from Hanford…
Varn
Level 8
July 23, 2019
2
If 1 in 4 admits it, probably a lot more do it and don't admit it. And a lot of young kids too that don't know any better. Public pools and hot springs are like taking a bath with a hundred strangers.
They are always doing testing on our beaches here also,They are closed periodically but usually only for a few days before it clears up,They put a remedial action plan together a long time ago and have done an amazing job of getting the bay cleaned up,,Water and sewage plants were all up grade so next to no over flow but with the increased high volume of rain that may happen again but they pretty well have storm water and sewr lines separted theses days,,Zebra muscle came along about 20 years ago,,even though they are harmful to the eco system they do a remarkable job of filtering and cleanning the water
RoyMillar
Level 9
July 23, 2019
1
I won't get in the water down in Galveston here in Texas due to how filthy the water is. It smells like oil and has a sheen on the water all the time. Haven't been to the beaches here in Texas since the early 90's and don't see that I will ever go again.
Redheadedgammy
Level 9
July 23, 2019
1
The beaches here are 5 star they check daily but high temperatures have changed some
bobwjr
Level 10
July 23, 2019
2
Can't remember his name but back in 2006 he worked at the EPA in WA State, he ended up back in the WADC EPA and made the Chesepeake Bay his raison d'etre. We were dealing with water issues back then and he was really helpful.
@silverotter11 different bay I'm in Delaware state is committed to the beaches here they check daily
@bobwjr I know, I grew up in Jersey, I was pointing out there are some goods guys. It does take states and people forcing their states to act right. We took our case to the WA State Supreme court and won. Hanford on the Columbia is a fucking nightmare and the Grand Coulee dam NEVER had a fish ladder so the salmon runs north into Canada are no more.
@silverotter11 ok
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