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Virginia Summary: 2006 Swimming Season
May 2007
- Introduction
- 2006 Summary Results
- For More Information
- Print version (PDF) of this document (204 K, 2 pages, About PDF)
- Raw data (MS-Excel) for Virginia (79 K)
Introduction
Figure 1. Virginia coastal counties with 2006 monitored beach data.
The BEACH Act of 2000 requires that coastal and Great Lakes states and territories report to EPA on beach monitoring and notification data for their coast recreation waters. The BEACH Act defines coastal recreation waters as the Great Lakes and coastal waters (including coastal estuaries) that states, territories, and authorized tribes officially recognize or designate for swimming, bathing, surfing, or similar activities in the water.
This fact sheet summarizes beach monitoring and notification data submitted to EPA by the Commonwealth of Virginia for the 2006 swimming season.
Bacteria levels in beach water are monitored at 47 public beaches in Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Environmental health personnel from local health departments regularly sample water for Enterococcus bacteria at public beaches between May and September.
| County | Total Beaches | Monitored | Not Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accomack | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Gloucester | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Hampton | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| King George | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Mathews | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Newport News | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Norfolk | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| Northampton | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Virginia Beach | 24 | 24 | 0 |
| York | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 47 | 47 | 0 |
2006 Summary Results
How many beaches had notification actions?
Figure 2: Beach notification actions in 2006.
When monitoring of water at beaches shows that levels of Enterococcus bacteria exceed the state water quality standard, a swimming advisory sign is posted at the affected beach, in addition to notifying local news agencies through a press release and posting the swimming advisory information on the Virginia Department of Health Web site. Of the 47 coastal beaches that were monitored in 2006, 4, or 9 percent, had at least one advisory during the 2006 season (Figure 2).
How many notification actions were reported and how long were they?
Figure 3: Beach notification actions by duration.
A total of 8 beach notification actions were reported in the 2006 swimming season. Actions were of relatively short duration, however. Figure 3 presents breakdowns of action durations.
What percentage of days were beaches under a notification action?
Figure 4: Beach days with and without notification actions.
For Virginia's 2006 swimming season, EPA determined there were a total of 7,038 beach days associated with the 47 monitored beaches. Actions were reported on 43 of those days or about 0.6 percent of the time (Figure 4).
How do 2006 results compare to previous years?
Beginning in 2003, states are required to submit data to EPA under the BEACH Act for beaches which are in coastal and Great Lakes waters. Table 2 compares 2006 data with data reported in previous years.
| Year | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of monitored beaches | 47 | 49 | 47 |
| Number of beaches affected by notification actions | 11 | 8 | 4 |
| Percentage of beaches affected by notification actions | 23% | 16% | 9% |
