(Editor’s Note: If you live in Texas or have loved ones who do, please make sure to read and share.)
Before you jump into a body of water in Texas on Labor Day, hit the pause button. A report published last week titled “Swim at Your Own Risk,” which used 2017 data collected by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, found unsafe levels of fecal matter at 75 of the 120 public beaches analyzed.
“The study, from Environment Texas and Frontier Group, which was published Thursday, also found dangerous concentrations of E. coli bacteria in 49 percent of the 1,450 freshwater sites analyzed. Government personnel tested beach water an average of 39 times, and freshwater samples were taken between four and 35 times.”1
Environment Texas said the fecal contamination could have come from a number of sources, including sewage overflows, agricultural runoff, and animal feces. And then there’s rain which “exacerbates the danger” because sewage overflows and stormwater run-offs often increase.
- The state’s most contaminated beaches were found in Corpus Christi Bay.
- The waters off Ropes Park had unsafe levels of bacteria 42 percent of the 57 times they were tested.
- Four beaches along Galveston Bay recorded at least six days with unsafe water.
Be advised that swimming in fecal matter can lead to ear and eye infections, gastrointestinal disease, and skin rashes. And that anyone with an exposed cut or a low immune system should take higher precautions.
Do yourself a favor and check with the local authorities before you jump in.
