How to Stop Beach Pollution

Beach pollution is a persistent problem in the United States, with many public coastal areas being forced to temporarily close every year due to pollution-related pathogens and chemicals causing illnesses in the population. With pollution coming from a variety of sources, stopping beach pollution requires a variety of approaches.

Instructions

• 1

  Reduce urban runoff. Pollution from urban areas is perhaps the biggest contributor to beach pollution, with wastewater, oil, chemicals and other contaminants sickening thousands each year. Limiting the amount of runoff from urban areas helps to stop beach pollution and save people from getting ill while swimming.

• 2

  Require better agriculture practices. The chemicals and pesticides from agriculture is washed away by rain and travels to coastal areas, causing beach pollution. Requiring stricter agriculture practices would reduce the amount of beach pollution.

• 3

  Clean up trash from the beach. As simple as it may sound, simply picking up trash from the shoreline of beaches can help stop beach pollution. Trash is often washed off the beach and into the sea when it rains, creating pollution in the ocean that can cause wildlife and humans to become ill.

• 4

  Stay focused on assessing the level of pollution. Without careful monitoring of pollution, there is no way to ensure that a beach is free of pollution. To adequately stop beach pollution, monitoring is needed based on the amount of pollution and the extent of beach use.