According to this report, which collected samples of 3,187 beaches around the country, about two-thirds of American beaches had at least one day in 2024 where fecal contamination exceeded federal safety standards.

I know what you’re thinking: “We have a limit for how much poop can be in the water?” The answer to that question is “yes,” and it’s for good reason. Exposing yourself to too much poopy water can lead to a whole host of problems, including gastrointestinal illnesses, infections and more.

Unfortunately, it seems like it’s really, really easy to do that in this country, as, while around two-thirds of beaches had at least one day of excessive fecal contamination, one in seven beaches were too poopy to swim almost a quarter of the time — and last year, there were more than 7,500 health warnings and closures issued for America’s beaches.

Happy swimming!