Beach Water Quality Advisories: How to Check if the Water Is Safe for Swimming
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How we wrote this: A plain-English summary of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's beach pages, checked October 29, 2026. States, Tribes, territories and local governments run beach programs and decide closures, so their notices control.
A beach can look perfect and still be under a swimming advisory. Here is why advisories happen and how to check before you go.
Why beaches get advisories
The EPA says beaches are most often closed or put under advisory because water samples show bacteria indicating that harmful bacteria, viruses, protozoa or parasites are likely present. Common causes it lists:
- Polluted runoff after rainfall and untreated sewage reaching the water.
- Runoff from high concentrations of farm animals carried to swimming areas.
- Cyanobacteria (harmful algal blooms), which can produce toxins. The EPA notes pets can be poisoned by drinking or swimming in toxin-contaminated water.
Who decides
Under the federal BEACH Act, the EPA keeps a National List of Beaches and gives grants to coastal and Great Lakes states, Tribes and territories for monitoring and public notification. The EPA says it will allocate up to $9.7 million in 2026 beach grants. But states, Tribes, territories and local governments decide whether to open or close a beach.
How to check a specific beach
- Start with your state or local beach program. The EPA says current closures and advisories come from them, and each beach page on the EPA list links to the jurisdiction's website.
- Use the EPA's National List of Beaches to see whether a beach is monitored. Select a state, then a beach, for a map with the most recent advisory or closure status and monitoring data reported to the EPA.
- Use BEACON for history, not today. The EPA's BEACON database maps more than 6,000 beaches, but jurisdictions only have to report once a year, so it doesn't hold current advisories.
- Look for posted signs at the beach itself.
How to lower your risk
The EPA's tips:
- Avoid swallowing water; wading or swimming without putting your head under lowers exposure.
- Avoid swimming near discharge pipes or at urban beaches after heavy rain.
- Keep open wounds out of the water.
- Wash your hands after playing in sand. The EPA has linked digging in beach sand to more stomach illness, worth knowing for sandcastle builders (see our tall sandcastle guide).
The EPA says the most common illness from sewage-polluted water is gastroenteritis (nausea, vomiting, stomachache, diarrhea, headache or fever), and children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are most likely to get sick. Most swimming illnesses are minor, but call a doctor if symptoms are severe.
Also see our guides to rip current safety and heat index and heat safety.