AUSTIN — Today, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D. 
encouraged Texans to sign up to receive alerts from the Texas General Land Office's (GLO) Texas Beach Watch Program for bacterial level testing results along the coast. Conveniently, those who sign up can choose to receive alerts regarding only the beaches they are interested in instead of the entire coast. Sign up today to stay informed at TexasBeachWatch.com.

Under the Texas Beach Watch Program, water is tested every week for the presence of Enterococcus bacteria (fecal indicator bacteria) from March through October and every other week from November through February. Water quality advisories are issued when bacteria levels in the water exceed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) minimum standard.

When samples indicate that bacteria levels are high enough to warrant an advisory, the water at that specific beach must be sampled every 24-48 hours until bacteria levels fall within a safe range. An advisory lasts at least 24 hours but can be extended if bacteria levels continue to exceed recommended levels.

Please note that the public may use a beach under a water quality advisory, as long as local authorities have not closed that beach. However, contact with the water, including swimming, wading, fishing, surfing, kayaking, etc., is discouraged until the advisory has been cleared.

Water quality conditions at beaches being sampled under the Texas Beach Watch Program can also be monitored through the interactive map.

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