Causes Of Beach Water Pollution

Water, as a necessity to humans, is scarce as only a small fraction of water is available for drinking. While the rest of the water is not suitable for drinking, it was served as a form of recreation for people. Coastal beaches, for instance, is a popular destination for recreation, attracting numerous amount of visitors. As the amount of tourists increases through the years, beach water pollution has risen as a prominent issue. In America, it was noted that almost 25% of the State's beaches are closed at least once a year due to water pollution (Hearn, n.d.). According to Natural Resources Defense Council’s 2014 beach report, the article stated that ten percent of all the water quality samples collected in 2013 from nearly 3,500 Great Lakes

As the runoff flows over land surfaces such as streets and building rooftops before reaching the coastal waters, it accumulates chemicals, debris, faecal matters and other pollutants that could affect beach water adversely (“Stormwater”, n.d.). According to a report by Natural Resources Defense Council (2014), it was mentioned that the amount of pollution present in runoff tends to be correlate with the amount of impervious cover. In a research conducted in North Carolina, findings had been reported that a watershed that was 22 percent covered by impervious surfaces had almost seven times higher average faecal coliform count compared to a watershed that was 7 percent covered by impervious surfaces. These runoffs can foul beaches, leading to the contamination of the beach water quality, affecting the water activities and marine lives. Beachwood beach, located in Ocean County, New Jersey is an example of beaches affected by storm water runoff, with over 35 percent of its water samples exceeding the state standards for pollution due to elevated bacteria levels (Warner,

As individuals, one can help to prevent water pollution on beaches by avoiding littering on beaches and streets to stop waste from getting into the water through runoffs. Also, on top of stopping littering, one can volunteer to clean up the beaches as to improve the condition of the beaches (Bernard, n.d.). Likewise, one can use rain barrels to capture storm water and reuse it for irrigation before storm water reaches the beach shores (“Testing the Waters”, 2014).

On an organization level, public education and outreach on water pollution can bring understanding and raise awareness of the harm of pollution (“Storm Water Runoff”, n.d.). In addition to the Clean Water Act implemented to control and stop any pollutant from a direct source into navigable waters without a permit, funds to upgrade and maintain storm water and sewage treatments can be included to prevent aging treatment plants from discharged untreated water into the water bodies (“Clean Water Act”, n.d.; “Storm Drains and Water Pollution”,