From testing water quality on our beaches to advocating for clean water policies, Surfrider Foundation’s programs are woven together by a common goal: protecting the places where we surf, swim, and play. In Washington State, our Surfrider chapters and volunteers are working on the front lines of clean water protection—collecting water samples, sharing results, pushing for better policies, and making sure everyone knows when it’s safe to swim.
Blue Water Task Force: Community Science in Action
At the heart of our clean water work is the Blue Water Task Force (BWTF)—Surfrider’s volunteer-led water quality monitoring program. In Washington, our chapters in Bellingham, Tacoma, and Olympia test local beaches for enterococcus bacteria, an indicator of fecal contamination. If there are high levels of enterococcus, it means there's a good chance there are harmful pathogens in the water that can make you sick and cause infections.
While the Dept of Ecology’s Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication, and Health (BEACH) Program tests many popular beaches during the summer, they don’t have the funding or capacity to test everywhere or all year long. Surfrider’s BWTF program helps fill in the gaps by providing year-round testing in some places, monitoring under-sampled or overlooked areas, and ensuring local communities have timely access to data. Chapters share data with Ecology and collaborate on ways to expand the BEACH program. It’s a powerful example of how community science can enhance government programs and protect public health.
Advocating for Clean Water Protections at the Federal Level
One of our amazing BWTF Coordinators, Joe McGee, out in the wild collecting a sample, then advocating for BEACH Act funding during Coastal Recreation Hill Days, rocking a suit and tie and the local beach he samples as his Zoom background. Pro move.
While our testing happens at the local level, our advocacy extends all the way to Washington, D.C. Surfrider chapters have long supported the reauthorization and increased funding of the BEACH Act, a federal law that enables states to test water quality and issue advisories. Without this critical funding, state programs would struggle to keep beachgoers informed and safe. Every year, Surfrider activists (like Olympia’s BWTF Coordinator, Joe McGee, who participated in this year’s Coastal Recreation Hill Days) meet with members of Congress to advocate for EPA clean water programs like the BEACH Act and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, another federal program that provides funding for states to upgrade old and outdated wastewater infrastructure. It’s amazing to see our local BWTF volunteers speaking with Senators about their efforts to protect public health and highlight how these federal programs directly impact our local communities and personal health.
A Major Win: Washington’s Sewage Spill Right to Know Law
This year, Surfrider Washington celebrated a coastal victory: the passage of the Sewage Spill Right to Know bill (SB 5450). Dozens of sewage spills occur across Washington each year, and while these must be reported to the Dept of Ecology, that information is not always easy for the public to access. This bill will create an online portal where anyone can see if there has been a spill in their area that might affect their health, recreation, or the environment.
Surfrider’s chapters and partner organizations mobilized grassroots support for the bill, submitted testimony (including South Sound’s BWTF Coordinator, Stena Troyer), and helped highlight the importance of transparent, timely communication of sewage spills. Thanks to this victory, Washingtonians now have stronger protections and better access to information about when and where spills happen.
Another of our amazing BWTF Coordinators, Stena Troyer, also seen in the wild collecting samples, then testifying for our Sewage Spill Right to Know in the Washington State legislature.
Connecting the Dots: Science, Advocacy, and Impact
From testing coastal waters to passing state legislation to defending federal programs, Surfrider’s clean water work in Washington is deeply interconnected. We believe that clean water is a right, not a privilege—and we back that belief with action at every level.
To see the bigger picture of how Surfrider is working nationwide to protect clean water, check out our newly released 2024 Clean Water Report. It highlights data from almost 10,000 water samples collected by Surfrider chapters last year, major policy wins across the country, and what actions we can take to safeguard our coasts.
👉 Read the 2024 Clean Water Report
Together, we can ensure that every beach is safe for recreation, every spill is reported, and every community has a voice in protecting clean water.