Sanitary Surveys for Recreational Waters
Background
A sanitary survey is a method of investigating the sources of fecal contamination to a waterbody. Sanitary surveys are often used for drinking water, shellfish, and watershed protection programs. They can also be used at beaches and other recreational waters. Sanitary surveys help state and local program managers and public health officials identify sources of water pollution, assess the magnitude of pollution, and identify priority locations for water testing.
Sanitary surveys for recreational waters involve collecting information at the beach or waterbody's shoreline, as well as in the surrounding watershed.
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weather conditions
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number of birds, dogs and people
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location and condition of bathrooms
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amount of algae.
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land use
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location of storm water outfalls
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surface water quality
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residential septic tank information.
Program managers for beaches and other recreational waters can use the sanitary survey results to prioritize state or county resource allocations to help improve recreational water quality. In addition, they can use sanitary survey data (e.g., bacteria levels, source flow, turbidity, rainfall) to develop models to predict recreational water quality.
The EPA has developed routine and more comprehensive annual sanitary surveys for both fresh and marine waters. In addition, the EPA has updated its recreational sanitary survey app, EPA Sanitary Survey App for Marine and Fresh Waters, which helps waterbody managers evaluate and share all contributing waterbody and watershed information, to include all four sanitary survey forms.
EPA Sanitary Survey App for Marine and Fresh Waters
To use the EPA’s Sanitary Survey App for Marine and Fresh Waters, users must request access credentials from the EPA and download Survey123 from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
App Training Webinars
For more information on the updated app or to obtain instructions translated in Spanish, please email (EPA_SanitarySurveyApp@epa.gov).
The EPA Sanitary Survey App for Marine and Fresh Waters (App) helps waterbody managers evaluate all waterbody and watershed information including water quality data, pollution source data, and land use data. The data from the App can be exported for use in predictive models and for sharing within or between agencies (e.g., public health and environmental).
The App includes routine and more comprehensive annual sanitary surveys for both fresh and marine waters. The App enables jurisdictions to easily gather information on possible existence of harmful algal blooms, in addition to sources of bacterial pollution.
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Compatibility with all mobile/handheld devices (smartphones, iPads, tablets and laptops)
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Free to use or store data compared to other similar apps
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Accessibility through Survey123 via Google Play, Apple’s App Store and any browser
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Connectivity to WiFi or Internet not required for use in the field
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Ability to include photos
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Geolocates beach and waterbody locations
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Ability to download data in several file formats including Shapefiles, CSV, Excel, and GeoJSON.
EPA Sanitary Survey App Data Export Tool
This tool makes downloading data including photo attachments for one or more sanitary surveys quick and easy.
Model Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for Sanitary Survey App
This model QAPP supports participatory scientists with the development of quality assurance project plans (QAPPs) for collecting environmental data and information using the EPA Sanitary Survey App for Marine and Fresh Waters. Use of the app requires a QAPP. The model QAPP provides a template that participatory science groups can tailor with their own project-specific information, when collecting data using the app and paper versions of the sanitary surveys.
Sanitary Surveys for Marine Waters
The EPA has developed routine and annual surveys that are specific to marine beaches. They are included in EPA’s Sanitary Survey App for Marine and Fresh Waters and are available in pdf versions. The survey forms include detailed questions on winds, tides, and other characteristics that affect marine waters and were not included on the surveys for fresh waters such as the Great Lakes, lakes, rivers and streams.
- Marine Sanitary Survey User Manual (pdf)
- Marine Routine Sanitary Survey for Recreational Waters (pdf)
- Marine Annual Sanitary Survey (pdf)
Sanitary Surveys for Fresh Waters
The EPA has developed routine and annual sanitary surveys that are specific to fresh (i.e., non-marine) recreational waters like lakes, rivers, and streams. They are included in EPA’s Sanitary Survey App for Marine and Fresh Waters and are available in pdf versions.