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USA TODAY
Beach pollution still nationwide problem
Updated 7/29/2009 11:23 AM ET
By Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
Raw sewage and other pollution continued to foul American beaches in 2008.

For the fourth year in a row, more than 20,000 beach closing days were reported in the USA, according to a report released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in Washington, D.C.

"Storm water and sewage runoff are the biggest sources for the contamination," says Nancy Stoner, NRDC's water program co-director. The report monitored beaches along the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts, along with those in the Great Lakes states.

TELL US: Have dirty beaches affected your summer vacation?

"The waters along the Great Lakes coastline appear to be the dirtiest, while the waters along the Southeast and DelMarVa (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia) coasts are relatively cleaner," the NRDC wrote in the report.

The states with the worst beach water quality were Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.

The states with the cleanest beaches were Delaware, New Hampshire and Virginia.

The biggest factor that causes polluted beaches is rain, says Stoner. It carries pollutants from dirty storm water and overflowing sewage into streams and rivers, which eventually make their way to the ocean.

According to the National Climatic Data Center, many Great Lakes states had a wetter-than-average summer in 2008, while all of the Mid-Atlantic states were unusually dry. "When the rains return," Stoner says, "so will pollution, forcing beaches to issue more closings and advisory days."

Beach water pollution, such as human or animal waste, makes swimmers vulnerable to a wide range of waterborne illnesses, including stomach flu, skin rashes, pinkeye, ear/nose/throat problems, dysentery, hepatitis, respiratory ailments, neurological disorders and other serious health problems.

A tip from Stoner for your beach vacation this summer: "Don't swim after a heavy rainfall. Wait at least 24 hours."

READERS: Has your summer vacation been affected by beaches closed due to contaminated water?

Posted 7/28/2009 8:06 PM ET
Updated 7/29/2009 11:23 AM ET
Beachgoers run along the water in Redondo Beach, Calif., on June 22. The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to spend $36 million to clean up a giant DDT deposit in the ocean off Los Angeles, according to a June report. Montrose Chemical Corp. released 110 tons of the banned pesticide into the sewers from 1947 through 1971. The chemicals then flowed into the ocean off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Beachgoers run along the water in Redondo Beach, Calif., on June 22. The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to spend $36 million to clean up a giant DDT deposit in the ocean off Los Angeles, according to a June report. Montrose Chemical Corp. released 110 tons of the banned pesticide into the sewers from 1947 through 1971. The chemicals then flowed into the ocean off the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

By Damian Dovarganes, AP