Americans love the beach. More than 100 million beachgoers flock to U.S. beaches every year to enjoy the sand, sunshine, and water. Here at Surfrider, we believe everyone should have access to clean water to surf, swim, and play in. Improving coastal water quality has been one of our top priorities since the Surfrider Foundation was founded in 1984.
With Memorial Day weekend kicking off the unofficial start to summer, the Surfrider Foundation is releasing our 2024 Clean Water Report to build awareness of issues that affect water quality and your health at the beach. This comprehensive annual report highlights the successes of our Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) and Ocean Friendly Gardens (OFG) programs in 2024, and features case studies of chapters leveraging these clean water programs to pair local pollution problems with solutions.
During 2024, 60 BWTF labs processed 10,120 water samples collected from 604 distinct sampling sites. Once again, Surfrider Foundation chapters broke all previous testing records with more labs, more sampling sites, and more water quality tests performed than ever before. A new lab was established in Isabela, Puerto Rico, and the O‘ahu Chapter launched a new lab at Wai‘anae High School. The Coos Bay Chapter in Oregon and the Sonoma Coast Chapter in California also relaunched their programs. Learn more about these new programs here.
Blue Water Task Force Lab Locations
Chapter BWTF programs are designed to fill in the gaps and extend the coverage of state and local agency beach programs. Surfrider Foundation volunteers test beaches that are not covered by agencies, and also monitor potential sources of pollution, such as stormwater outlets, rivers, and creeks that discharge onto the beach. The Blue Water Task Force operates year-round, providing public health protection through the off-season, when lifeguards leave the beach and health officials stop collecting water samples. Last year, 80% of beaches and sampling sites tested (483 of 604) yielded at least one high bacteria result that exceeded state health standards. This shows the importance of regular water quality monitoring at the beach to protect public health and safe recreation. Unfortunately, the President's budget proposal for next year (FY2026) potentially eliminates all funding for the EPA's BEACH Act Grants program that supports beach water quality monitoring and public notification programs in 35 coastal states and territories — which could leave families completely blind to pollution issues at America’s beaches.
Please join Surfrider in calling on Congress to reject the Trump administration's proposal to slash funding for the EPA and support robust funding for the BEACH Act and other clean water programs. Everyone deserves to enjoy a fun day at the beach without worrying about getting sick from exposure to pollution.
The 2024 Clean Water Report features ten Beach Bacteria Hot Spots from the East Coast, West Coast, Puerto Rico, and Hawai‘i, where Surfrider Foundation chapters are consistently measuring high bacteria levels that exceed state health standards for recreational water. These Beach Bacteria Hot Spots represent a variety of recreational waters and access points that are important to local communities, yet water quality conditions could be putting public health at risk.
Surfrider’s 2024 Beach Bacteria Hot Spots
At each of these beaches, Surfrider Foundation chapter volunteers are working hard to build awareness of the pollution problems and to provide their communities with critical public health information. The ultimate goal is to use BWTF data to find and fix the sources of pollution and prioritize local efforts to restore clean water locally.
Upstream, Surfrider chapters are digging into their Ocean Friendly Gardens programs to help solve water quality problems caused by stormwater and urban runoff. Chapters use this program to protect clean water and support resilient coasts and communities.
Through grassroots campaigns and programs, Surfrider is working hard to ensure that the beaches and ocean are clean and safe for all people to enjoy for generations to come. Learn more about how Surfrider’s national network of coastal advocates is fighting at the local, state, and federal levels to protect clean water in the 2024 Clean Water Annual Report. Case studies feature:
- Puerto Rico - Resolving sewage failures in Rincón and across Puerto Rico
- Newport, OR - Leveraging community partners to protect public health
- San Luis Obispo, CA - Tracking pollution sources on California’s Central Coast
- Corpus Christi, TX - Building community awareness of local water quality conditions
- Lāhainā, Maui, HI - Post-fire coastal water quality monitoring program
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