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  2. Water Research

Recreational Waters Research

Child walking along beach with seagulls

EPA conducts research to ensure that beaches, lakes and other recreational waters are safe for human use. Chemical contaminants and disease-causing microorganisms are monitored in waters to ensure human health is not affected through recreational activities, such as swimming or boating. This research builds a strong scientific foundation for up-to-date recreational water quality criteria designed to protect swimmers from illness due to exposure to pathogens in recreational waters.

Methods and Tools

  • Virtual Beach Tool
  • Same-Day Monitoring Method for Recreational Water
  • Methods, Models, Tools, and Databases for Water Research

Virtual Beach: A Modeling Tool to Help Make Beach Closure Decisions

Beach managers need fast ways to determine when pollution makes beaches unsafe for swimming and need to be closed. To help, EPA scientists developed the Virtual Beach modeling tool to predict concentrations of E. coli, Enterococcus, and other bacterial microorganisms at both fresh and saltwater beaches. 

Read the Science Matters story about Virtual Beach.

Additional Resources

  • Advanced Ambient Water Quality Research
  • News: Digging in Beach Sand Linked to Increased Risk of Gastrointestinal Illness 
  • Research to Support and Implement Recreational Water Quality Criteria
  • Recreational Water Quality Criteria and Methods

Water Research

  • Watersheds Research
    • Watershed Assessment Research
    • Ecosystem and Community Resilience Research
    • Advanced Ambient Water Quality Research
  • Nutrients and Harmful Algal Blooms Research
    • Nutrients Research
    • Harmful Algal Blooms Research
  • Water Treatment and Infrastructure Research
    • Drinking Water Research
      • Treatment and Control of Contaminants
      • Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability
      • Source Water Quality
      • Exposure and Health Risks
      • Models, Tools, and Analytical Methods
      • Technical Assistance in Support of BIL
      • Training, Outreach, and Technical Support
    • PFAS Research
      • PFAS Analytical Methods Research
    • Alternative Water Sources Research
    • Stormwater Management Research
    • Wastewater Research
  • Water Research Grants
  • Research Outputs
  • Training, Outreach, and Technical Support
    • Harmful Algal Blooms, Hypoxia, and Nutrients Research Webinars
    • Small Drinking Water Systems Webinars
    • Water Research Webinars
Contact Us about Water Research
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on July 15, 2024
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