• Recreational Shellfish Beach Closures

See also:

Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication, & Health

The mission of the BEACH Program is to protect people who play on Washington's saltwater beaches.  Swimming in contaminated saltwater can cause illness in humans.  We monitor beaches for fecal bacteria, notify the public when the results are high, and educate beach goers on how to avoid getting sick from playing in saltwater.  

The BEACH Program is led jointly by the Washington State Departments of Ecology and Health, and consists of county and local agencies, tribal nations, and volunteers.  This web site provides:

• beach advisory signs and definitions,

• information about the causes and types of recreational water illnesses,

• beach information posted by several Puget Sound counties, and

• links to other resources. 

To find the status of water conditions at your favorite saltwater beach, see Ecology's Coastal Atlas). 

For detailed information about the program design and function, fecal bacteria monitoring results, advice on how to stay healthy at the beach, the program science, and useful maps, please visit the Department of Ecology's BEACH program web site.

For more information contact:

Julie.Lowe@ecy.wa.gov, 360-407-6543 (Ecology)

Learn more about the  BEACH Program
(Dept of Ecology web site)

Saltwater beaches we monitor

Looking for lakes information?

Public invited to help choose which saltwater beaches to monitor.

Protect yourself and your family from Recreational Water Illnesses when swimming.

If you see a hazardous substance spilling onto the beach, please report it to Ecology. For contacts, see Ecology's How to Report at Spill.

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Links to external resources are provided as a public service and do not imply endorsement by the Washington State Department of Health.

BEACH Program
Office of Shellfish and Water Protection
Division of Environmental Health
Washington State Department of Health

Mailing address:  DOH BEACH Program, PO Box 47824, Olympia, WA  98504-7824
Physical address:  243 Israel Rd. SE, Town Center Building 3, Tumwater, WA

Phone:  360-236-3330
Fax:     360-236-2257

Send inquiries about DOH and its programs to the Health Consumer Assistance Office.
For comments or questions regarding this Web site, please send email to Web Coordinator.