Beaches Along U.S. Coastline Face High Levels of Bacteria

ties, with AP News reporting 800 deaths and more than 2,500 injuries. A villager in Nurgal district, one of the worst-affected areas, said virtually the entire village was destroyed. The villager, who did not give his name, pleaded for people to come to his village and help pull out those who were buried. International Affairs Update: On Aug. 20, Mayor Phillip Jones posted on social media the news of former Mayor Joseph C. Ritchie’s death on Aug. 17. Ritchie was the first Republican elected to the New- port News City Council and the first Republican mayor of the city, having served 10 years from July of 1976 to June of 1986. His obituary highlights his involvement in numerous development projects and as a prime initiator of City Center at Oyster Point. Early this year, Ritchie was among five former mayors who were honored at the State of the City address in February. In his memory, all City flags were lowered to half-staff from Aug. 20 to Aug. 27. Ritchie was 95 years old. 22nd Mayor of Newport News life is celebrated People relax at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. Photo taken from AP News by Mingson Lau.

From Crystal River, Florida, to Ogunquit, Maine, beaches have been under advisories to warn Labor Day weekend tourists about high levels of bacteria. State Health Departments have discovered rising levels of bacteria associated with fecal waste. The bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illnesses, rashes and nausea if ingested. 

Multiple beaches have decided to close for the holiday weekend, including some of the most popular destinations: Keyes Memorial Beach in Cape Cod and Benjamin’s Beach on Long Island. Even the Hawaii State Department has issued a warning about a high bacteria count at Kahaluu Beach.

Fecal waste in large bodies of water is a longstanding and widespread problem, stated by AP News. Two-thirds of beaches tested nationwide in 2024 experienced at least one full day of unsafe levels of fecal contamination, conservation group Environment America wrote in a report issued this past summer.

The report showed more than 450 beaches were potentially unsafe for swimming on at least 25 percent of the days tested, AP News stated. The key reason is sewer systems that allow contamination to reach places where people can swim. 

John Rumpler, senior attorney at Environment America proclaimed that beaches are a treasure for families to enjoy across the country. “They are a shared resource,” he said. “We need to make the investment to make sure that our own waste doesn’t wind up in the places where we are swimming.”