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2008 Swimming Season Update
Washington
July 2009
- Introduction
- 2008 Summary Results
- For More Information
- PDF Version (2 pp, 452K, About PDF) of this document
- Raw data (XLS) (574K) for Washington
Introduction
Figure 1. Washington coastal counties.
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 coastal 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 State of Washington for the 2008 swimming season.
Between Memorial Day and Labor Day each year, the Washington BEACH Program monitors fecal bacteria at approximately 70 saltwater beaches. In 2008, this number was reduced to 55 due to increased costs and static funding. The Program is managed collaboratively by the State Departments of Ecology and Health and accomplished through the cooperative efforts of local health jurisdictions, tribal nations, non-profit organizations, and volunteers. There are more than 100 people involved in implementing Washington's BEACH Program.
Bacteria levels at Washington's marine waters are typically very low with 63% of samples showing bacteria levels below the detection limit. Beaches that exceed water quality standards are usually shallow enclosed bays close to urban areas. The Washington BEACH Program implements several strategies to protect beachgoers from bacteria related illness and improve water quality. In addition to monitoring and notification, it identifies beaches with chronic problems and assists local health jurisdictions in fixing those problems. The Washington BEACH Program has successfully conducted investigations of contamination sources and worked with shoreline communities to identify and correct bacteria problems. For instance, at Freeland County Park in Island County high bacteria levels prompted closing shellfish harvesting in March, 2006 and swimming in June, 2006. In March, 2007 the Island County Commissioners established a Shellfish Protection District and increased monitoring and pollution source identification and remediation. A public outreach effort included cleaning up septic systems, pet waste, agricultural issues, business and residential practices that contribute to pollution. Although the shellfish closure remains in effect, the beach was reopened to swimming September 10, 2008.
| County | Total Beaches | Monitored | Not Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clallam | 94 | 6 | 88 |
| Grays Harbor | 71 | 3 | 68 |
| Island | 113 | 3 | 110 |
| Jefferson | 122 | 3 | 119 |
| King | 90 | 8 | 82 |
| Kiitsap | 181 | 9 | 172 |
| Mason | 71 | 3 | 68 |
| Pacific | 59 | 1 | 58 |
| Pierce | 137 | 6 | 131 |
| San Juan | 231 | 0 | 231 |
| Skagit | 66 | 1 | 65 |
| Snohomish | 42 | 7 | 35 |
| Thurston | 39 | 1 | 39 |
| Whatcom | 50 | 5 | 45 |
| Totals | 1,366 | 56 | 1,310 |
2008 Summary Results
How many notification actions were reported and how long were they?
Figure 2: Beach notification actions by duration.
When water quality standards are exceeded at a particular beach, Washington’s approach is to issue a beach advisory that warns people to avoid contact with the water. A total of 11 monitored beaches had at least one advisory issued during the 2008 swimming season. Figure 2 presents a breakdown of notification action durations. (This graph does not include four beaches that are permanently posted with advisories, two beaches posted for advisories that occurred outside of the swim season and ten actions at beaches that were not monitored.)
What percentage of days were beaches under a notification action?
Figure 3: Beach days with and without notification actions.
For Washington’s 2008 swimming season, actions were reported about 1 percent of the time (Figure 3).
How do 2008 results compare to previous years?
Table 2 compares 2008 notification action data with monitored beach data from previous years.
| Year | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of monitored beaches | 80 | 65 | 56 |
| Number of beaches affected by notification actions | 20 | 8 | 11 |
| Percentage of beaches affected by notification actions | 25% | 12% | 20% |
| Percentage of beach days affected by notification actions | 4% | 3% | 2% |
What pollution sources possibly affect investigated monitored beaches?
Figure 4 displays the percentage of Washington's investigated monitored beaches possibly affected by various pollution sources. In 2008, 33 percent of the beaches were listed as having unidentified sources of pollution.
Figure 4: Percent of investigated monitored beaches affected by possible pollution sources (12 beaches).
For More Information
Washington's 2007 Beach Season Data | General information about beaches | Beaches in Washington 
