Texas Poop Beaches are a Real Thing and it’s Getting Worse

Heading to the beach for a getaway? Be careful which beach you go to in Texas, because swimming in poop is nobody's idea of a good time.

Not To Be A Party Pooper, But...

Yes it's gross and yes it's true, - several Texas beaches have been deemed "potentially unsafe" along the Gulf Coast because of fecal matter, sewage, poop, human dung...whatever you want to call it.

I have a vacation coming up in a few weeks and I thought I just needed to be concerned with the possibility of a sunburn or maybe a shark attack, maybe even a hurricane. I had no idea that I should be worried about possibly swimming in poop but apparently, I should.

The problem exists and it's bad along the Texas Gulf Coast.

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Above Average Is A Bad Thing Here

Newsweek reports that according to an Environment America report, beaches along the Texas Gulf Coast were worse than the national average. The report didn't mention what the national average was, but did say that 82 percent of the 220 Texas beaches tested, which is 180.4 beaches (I did the math) came back as "potentially unsafe" on at least one day in 2020.

Two of the worst spots were Cole Park's beach in Corpus Christi and Sylvan Beach in La Porte, with 60 percent of the days it was tested deemed "unsafe" with fecal matter contamination.

It's Not Just Texas, Though

Texas isn't alone here, as other states have also tested high in levels of poop including Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Ohio, and Oregon.

Environment America's senior director of the group's clean water campaign, John Rumpler, tells CBS Dallas-Fort Worth, that improvements to water infrastructure is needed saying area growth has, "paved over so much of the landscape that when we have heavy rains, the water has nowhere to go. That heavy rain is picking up bacteria, grease, oil, toxic chemicals and sweeping it all off into the sewage system, causing an overflow."

Not Just Beaches

This all sounds pretty gross, but realistically it's not like you are swimming in an unflushed toilet. Lakes, rivers, and pools have the same issue with contamination. The fecal matter breaks down in the water so it might not be totally visible to the eye. Pay attention to any signs that might be posted. If the sign says "Don't Swim", then you should probably heed the warning, and if the water just looks gross than just stay out of it.

But yeah, swimming in poop is disgusting.