Contaminated Beach Water In Anne Arundel Co. Revealed In Report

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — A nice relaxing day at the beach sounds blissful, until a beachgoer contracts an infection or illness from contaminated water. An analysis of bacteria levels in water at beaches around Anne Arundel County conducted by Environment America shows that beachgoers should check the county's weekly and biweekly recreational water report before splashing around in the water.

Environment America analyzed bacteria from beaches in 29 coastal and Great Lakes states in 2018, as well as Puerto Rico. For the study, Environment America deemed beaches “potentially unsafe” if the bacteria levels exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s most protective “Beach Action Value” threshold — meaning what the EPA believes will cause 32 out of 1,000 people to fall ill from the water.

The report's authors found that more than half the beaches tested were potentially unsafe for swimming on at least one day in 2018. The analysis also showed that 610 beaches were potentially unsafe on 25 percent of the days they were tested for bacteria.

In Maryland, out of 158 sites sampled in 2018, 79 (50%) were considered to be potentially unsafe
for at least one day. The good news for beachgoers in Anne Arundel County is that Sandy Point’s east and middle beaches had zero potentially unsafe days during the 15 sampling days. Sandy Point’s south beach had one potentially unsafe day out of 15.

“Human contact with the contaminated water, indicated by bacteria testing, can result in gastrointestinal illness as well as respiratory disease, ear and eye infections, and skin rash,” Environment America wrote in the report. “Each year in the U.S., swimmers suffer from an estimated 57 million cases of recreational waterborne illness.”

The causes of contaminated water range from fecal matter to urban runoff, sewage leaks and livestock operations. The report notes that beaches cannot be compared to each other since the testing takes place on different schedules and at different frequencies.

Read the full report from the Environment America Research & Policy Center.

Below are just a few of the results for Anne Arundel County beaches pulled from the report:

Londotown Beach at Highland

Potentially unsafe days: 3

Sampling days: 10

Percentage of potentially unsafe days: 30%

Loch Haven

Potentially unsafe days: 1

Sampling days: 8

Percentage of potentially unsafe days: 12%

Hillsmere Shores

Potentially unsafe days: 1

Sampling days: 9

Percentage of potentially unsafe days: 11%

Saunders Point

Potentially unsafe days: 1

Sampling days: 6

Percentage of potentially unsafe days: 17%

Beverly Beach

Potentially unsafe days: 1

Sampling days: 9

Percentage of potentially unsafe days: 11%

Camp Letts

Potentially unsafe days: 1

Sampling days: 14

Percentage of potentially unsafe days: 7%

Avalon Shores

Potentially unsafe days: 3

Sampling days: 7

Percentage of potentially unsafe days: 43%

Franklin Manor

Potentially unsafe days: 1

Sampling days: 6

Percentage of potentially unsafe days: 17%

Mayo Beach Park

Potentially unsafe days: 0

Sampling days: 15

Percentage of potentially unsafe days: 0%

Edgewater Sunnyside

Potentially unsafe days: 0

Sampling days: 8

Percentage of potentially unsafe days: 0%

Rosehaven

Potentially unsafe days: 1

Sampling days: 7

Percentage of potentially unsafe days: 14%