Some Florida beaches are potentially unsafe due to poop contamination: Report

A favorite way to beat the heat over the summer is to cool down is to head down to the beach, but a startling new report could make you think twice before diving in.

Several Florida beaches tested potentially unsafe last year due to fecal contamination levels with at least one day exceeding the Environment Protection Agency's "Beach Action Value," a preventative tool to measure bacteria, according to a report by Environment America.

The Gulf Coast tested the dirtiest, with over 80% of the coasts contaminated.

South Beach was especially affected as well - 68% of the days that the tourist waters were tested, the results came back as potentially unsafe.

In fact, according to the report, about half of the beaches tested nationwide were deemed potentially unsafe.

Based on the collected data, one in nine waterfronts had hazardous poop on at least 25% of the days testing was completed.

Upticks in bacteria can come from sources like sewage overflow, polluted stormwater and decaying infrastructure that helps raw sludge enter the waterways.

Local

Miami 6 mins ago

Man accidentally leaves child behind while allegedly stealing beer from CVS: Police

I-95 2 hours ago

Southbound express lanes closed on I-95 due to crash

Around 90 million cases of illness due to water recreation occur nationwide with costs up to $3.7 billion annually, according to a study in Environmental Health. Almost 60% of those illnesses are attributed to swimming, but many similar ailments go unreported.

Gastrointestinal, sinus and respiratory issues are common when playing in problematic lakes, oceans, rivers and ponds.

To Environment America, some of the best ways to improve water quality at beaches are to invest in natural infrastructure, modernize sewage systems and enact moratoriums on large-scale livestock operations.