Florida beaches get a lot of use, and you might think that the water surrounding them would never become contaminated and unsafe. Apparently that's not the case, though. Of the 30 states who were rated on the cleanliness of their beaches, Florida ranked 5th. Ratings included how often the beaches are monitored and the amount of bacteria and other pollutants in the water. For general knowledge, Delaware beaches ranked as the cleanest in the nation, and those in Louisiana were deemed the dirtiest. The problem is, however, that with shrinking state revenues, many coastal states, including Florida, are cutting back on monitoring, which could have devastating effects.

For whatever their reasons, our congress people have consistently voted to allot less funding to beach monitoring and safety notification. Beaches that have been considered safe, if not pristine, could fall in the national ratings just because what's happening there isn't being noticed. Tourism brings in big bucks in these coastal areas, and a failure to maintain the beaches could decrease state revenue even further. It seems to be a no-win situation unless the government ups its game in giving states the funding they need.

The fact is that more than 10 trillion gallons of untreated waste water is being allowed to flow into the nation's beach areas. This means that a substantial rise in harmful bacteria in the water is sure to follow. People who swim in these areas are at serious risk of developing health issues which can range from minor stomach ailments to rashes to more serious neurological problems. Every year the National Resources Defense Council issues a report that allows beach-goers to know the condition of every public beach in America. They urge people to make use of these statistics when they make decisions about where they want to vacation. Good decision-making can help people stay healthy.

There's nothing more fun than taking the family to the beach on a hot summer day, but the high spirits can be dampened by contaminated water and fear of illness. In addition to swimming only at beaches that have been deemed safe, people can help by cleaning up their own messes and not allowing the wastes they leave behind to join the mass of other pollutants in dirtying up our beaches and coastal waters. Since it doesn't appear that the government is going to make a move any time soon in order to get this problem under control, a lot of the responsibility must, of necessity, fall on the shoulders of the American public.

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