SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—With summer just a few weeks away, the Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s ocean, waves and beaches, has released its annual Clean Water Report, a comprehensive look at the state of America’s coastal water quality and the wastewater infrastructure that is increasingly unable to keep pace.
The report documents how an estimated $630 billion backlog in wastewater infrastructure repairs—combined with more frequent extreme weather and a federal proposal to eliminate the only dedicated federal program for beach water quality monitoring—is putting millions of beachgoers at risk.
More than 100 million visitors flock to America’s beaches each year to enjoy the sand, sunshine and water. Beyond recreation, coastal tourism and ocean recreation industries support 2.5 million jobs and contribute $240 billion annually to the U.S. economy. Despite the value of these natural resources, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 5 million people become ill from swimming in contaminated water each year. While many beaches remain safe, Surfrider’s 2025 data identified several concerning pollution hot spots.
The report found that years of neglect and underfunding have left the country with an estimated $630 billion backlog in wastewater infrastructure repairs and upgrades. As a result, more than 900 billion gallons of untreated sewage enter U.S. surface waters every year, while nearly 10 trillion gallons of untreated stormwater runoff carry road dust, oil, animal waste, fertilizers, and other pollutants into waterways.
Climate change is worsening the problem, according to the report. More frequent and intense storms generate stormwater volumes that overwhelm aging wastewater systems, triggering infrastructure failures and sewage spills.
The encouraging news in Surfrider’s 2025 Clean Water Report is that most ocean beach sampling sites tested clean most of the time. However, the data also revealed persistent “hot spots” where contamination is chronic, often at beaches not monitored by government agencies.
The Blue Water Task Force, the nation’s largest volunteer-run beach water testing program, aims to fill those gaps. In 2025, the program processed 10,157 water samples at 620 locations through a national network of 60 chapter-led labs, conducting more tests at more sites than ever before. Of those samples, 23 percent exceeded state health standards for recreational waters. At 400 of the 620 beaches tested, at least one sample failed to meet state health criteria during the year. At two beaches in Hawaii—Punaluu Beach Park (“Chings”) on Oahu and the mouth of Moloaa Stream on Kauai—100 percent of samples collected by Surfrider volunteers failed.
“Most of America’s ocean beaches test clean most of the time—but our data is revealing hot spots where families are being exposed to dangerous levels of bacteria, often in communities the government isn’t testing,” said Mara Dias, Surfrider’s Clean Water Initiative associate director. “That’s exactly the gap our chapters are stepping up to fill. From Imperial Beach to Honolulu, from Long Island to Puerto Rico, Surfrider volunteers are turning water quality data into positive action—bringing communities together, partnering with local leaders, and driving the pollution solutions our coastal economies and healthy beaches depend on.”
The report emphasizes the need for major investments to help coastal communities prepare for increasingly severe weather and repair failing wastewater systems. Congress, the report said, should reject budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration and increase funding for key clean water programs at the United States Environmental Protection Agency, including the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the BEACH Act grants program.
Surfrider is urging supporters to contact their senators in support of extending BEACH Act funding and to join local chapters advocating for clean water. Because no one should get sick from spending a day at the beach, the nonprofit said.
