BEACH annual report
Our Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication & Health, or BEACH, program ensures that marine water is safe to swim and play in and informs the public if water doesn't meet swimming standards.
Out of the 57 beaches sampled in 2023, 86 percent were considered passing beaches. A beach is considered passing if it has no more than one sampling event that exceeds the swimming standard.
You can look up your local beach and see how clean it was during 2023 with county-by-county links below. Also, you can compare 2023 to previous years and to overall averages with our summary bar chart below.
Keeping beaches safe
From Memorial Day through Labor Day in 2023, our scientists and county and local BEACH partners sampled 57 public beaches on marine waters for bacterial contamination. We collected water samples from high-use beaches weekly or biweekly to test for enterococcus, a type of fecal bacteria. High enterococcus levels are linked to swimmer illness. This information helps health officials issue swimming advisories.
Water quality — beach by beach
Click on the county links below for more details on water quality at local swimming beaches:
Beach water quality summary 2023
In 2023, the Washington BEACH Program sampled 57 beaches. The figure below shows that in 2023, 86% of beaches were considered "passing" beaches. Passing beaches have no more than one sampling event that exceeds the swimming standard.
Percentage of Washington marine beaches meeting the swimming standard
Contact information
Contact BEACH: Reach BEACH staff, sign up for our email list, or follow us on social-media platforms.