BEACH annual report
Our Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication & Health, or BEACH, program ensures that marine water is safe to swim and play in and informs the public if water doesn't meet swimming standards.
Out of the 52 beaches sampled in 2024, 84 percent were considered passing beaches. A beach is considered passing if it has no more than one sampling event that exceeds the swimming standard.
You can look up your local beach and see how clean it was during 2024 with county-by-county links below. Also, you can compare 2024 to previous years with our summary bar chart below.
Keeping beaches safe
From Memorial Day through Labor Day in 2024, our scientists and county and local BEACH partners sampled 52 public beaches on marine waters for bacterial contamination. We collected water samples from high-use beaches weekly or biweekly to test for enterococcus, a type of fecal bacteria. High enterococcus levels are linked to swimmer illness. This information helps health officials issue swimming advisories.
Water quality — beach by beach
Click on the county links below for more details on water quality at local swimming beaches:
Beach water quality summary 2024
In 2024, the Washington BEACH Program sampled 52 beaches. The figure below shows that in 2024, 84% of beaches were considered "passing" beaches. Passing beaches have no more than one sampling event that exceeds the swimming standard.
Percentage of Washington marine beaches meeting the swimming standard
Contact information
Contact BEACH: Reach BEACH staff, sign up for our email list, or follow us on social-media platforms.