Texas State gets $500,000 federal grant to study fecal contamination of waters

Congressman Greg Casar announced yesterday that he had secured $500,000 in federal funding to support research by Texas State University’s Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. The Center will use the grant to develop an environmental forensics approach as a tool for understanding and predicting fecal bacterial contamination as a tool for coastal management. The study areas will target Texas bays and estuaries with historically high levels of bacteria such as recreational beaches in Harris, Matagorda, and Nueces Counties.

Environment Texas Executive Director Luke Metzger spoke at a press conference celebrating the grant, saying:

“Texans love the beach. Many of us have fond memories of taking a trip down to the coast with our families to splash around the waves, cool off and relax, or just enjoy peace and quiet amid nature.

But too often water pollution ruins our enjoyment of the beach – and it can even make us sick. Fecal contamination from sources such as urban runoff, sewage overflows and factory farms can contain pathogens that threaten the health of swimmers, or that force beaches to be closed to protect public health.

According to our research, in 2022, 55 Texas beaches were potentially unsafe for swimming on at least one testing day. That’s 90% of the beaches that do testing. 

8 Texas beaches exceeded this safety threshold on one-quarter of days tested last year, with Cole Park Beach in Corpus Christi having higher bacteria levels on 54% percent of days tested.

While Texans can visit TexasBeachWatch.com to see whether an advisory has been issued for unsafe levels of fecal bacteria, but water quality tests are generally administered only on a weekly basis, so it’s hard to get real time information on the safety of beach water. That’s what makes the Meadows Center project so important. By developing an early warning system for fecal bacteria, we can help protect people from getting sick.

Scientists estimate 57 million cases of people getting sick yearly in the U.S. from swimming in oceans, lakes, rivers, and ponds. Those illnesses can include nausea, diarrhea, ear infections, and rashes.

We shouldn’t tolerate that. We need to keep working to ensure that Texans can swim at our beaches without fear of getting sick.”