GLIN==> USGS News Release: New Water-Quality Test May Prevent Unnecessary Beach Closures

This release can be found in the USGS Newsroom at:
http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=3529.

 [image: USGS main page] <http://www.usgs.gov/>News Release
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 March 18, 2013 Meredith Nevers219-926-8336mnevers at usgs.gov Jennifer LaVista
303-202-4764 jlavista at usgs.gov
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New Water-Quality Test May Prevent Unnecessary Beach Closures

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A new rapid water-quality test may prevent beaches from being closed by
providing accurate same day results of bacteria levels, according to a new
study by the U.S. Geological Survey.

With increasing outbreaks of waterborne illnesses, beaches have been at the
forefront of recent research on human health risk. This new rapid
water-quality test, developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
will help managers across the country determine whether beaches are safe
for swimming in order to keep the public from getting sick. Previous tests
could not provide same-day results, so managers had to decide whether to
close a beach based on findings from the day before.

USGS scientists analyzed the accuracy of EPA’s rapid test by looking at
past water quality data from five beaches along Lake Michigan to determine
what the outcomes would have been if the rapid test was used. These
findings were then compared to two older methods of testing which require
24 hours for results.  Scientists discovered that results from the rapid
test met EPA’s safe swimming criteria more often than the older tests. If
this method had been used during the study period examined, the summers of
2009 and 2010, it may have prevented hundreds of beach closure days and
possibly significantly decreased incidences of waterborne illnesses. The
full report is available online<http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es304408y>
.

“This study provides beach managers with a virtual “test drive” of this
tool; it gives them an idea of what they can expect in terms of beach
monitoring decision making,” said USGS scientist Meredith Nevers. “Our
research shows that EPA’s rapid test can be an effective tool for beach
managers to help keep their recreational beach goers happy and safe.”

Beach closures not only impact recreational users in the summertime, but
they also create huge losses for the local economy. Studies have found that
the value of a beach trip is between $20-$36 per person per day — revenue
which may be lost to local economies when beaches are closed.

The new rapid test, called quantitative polymerase chain reaction for
enterococci, is recommended by the EPA, but it is not a requirement. The
test has been included in the 2012 EPA guidelines for safe levels of
indicator bacteria, including: Escherichia coli (E. coli) and enterococci.
The test can be used at both freshwater and marine beaches. To learn more
about EPA’s recreational water quality criteria, visit their
webpage.<http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/health/recreation/index.cfm>



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_____________________________________

*Holly Muir*
Science Communications Liaison
USGS Great Lakes Science Center
1451 Green Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
hmuir at usgs.gov
office: 734.214.9318
cell: 734.545.3428
_____________________________________
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