In April 2016, EPA’s Office of Science and Technology hosted a Recreational Waters Conference on:

• Beach monitoring,
• Beach notification, and
• Implementation tools for the 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria

EPA sponsored the national Recreational Waters Conference to bring together public health and environmental professionals from states, tribes, territories, the federal government, academic researchers, and other stakeholders to discuss the wide-ranging issues related to human health in waters used for recreation (e.g., swimming at beaches).

Approximately 250 federal, state, local government and other stakeholders attended the conference. The conference included a pre-conference session with presentations on sanitary surveys, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) laboratory techniques, and predictive modeling; 10 sessions covering a range of topics related to recreational waters; and a poster session.  Poster presentations are listed below. View conference agenda and proceedings. 

• Application of Hydrodynamic Modeling to Predict Viral Impacts from Wastewater Treatment Plant Discharges Adjacent to Shellfish Growing Areas (PDF)(1 pg, 5 MB)
• Improving Water Quality Modeling for NYC Beach Advisory and Closure Guidance (PDF)(1 pg, 2 MB)
• Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card (PDF)(1 pg, 2 MB)
• The Next Generation PCR-Based Quantification Method for Ambient Waters: Digital PCR (PDF)(1 pg, 903 K)
• Comparison of Agar- and Pectin-Based Methods for the Detection of Male-Specific Coliphage (PDF)(1 pg, 918 K)
• A Customized DNA Microarray for Microbial Source Tracking in Environmental Systems (PDF)(1 pg, 2 MB)
• How EPA’s Source ID Technology and Digital PCR Enhance Watershed Management (PDF)(1 pg, 4 MB)
• Risk Levels of Toxic Cyanobacteria in Portuguese Recreational Freshwaters (PDF)(1 pg, 830 K)
• Pollution Source Identification, Tracking, and Sanitary Survey on Italian Beaches (PDF)(1 pg, 546 K)
• Microbial Source Tracking at Two Beaches (PDF)(1 pg, 3 MB)
• Beyond Swimming: Playing in the Cold Waters of Alaska (PDF)(1 pg, 3 MB)
• Washington State Marine Beach Bacteria Trends, 2003–2014 (PDF)(1 pg, 4 MB)
• Assessing Potential Sources and Influential Parameters of Fecal Contamination at F.W. Kent Park Lake, Oxford, Iowa (PDF)(1 pg, 3 MB)
• Using Canine Scent Tracking To Determine Bacteria Source Contamination: A Case Study from the Grand Traverse Bay Watershed, Michigan (PDF)(1 pg, 2 MB)
• Utilizing Green Infrastructure to Protect Public Health at Beaches: A Case Study in Suttons Bay, MI (PDF)(1 pg, 3 MB)
• On Rapid Assessment Methods Using Statistical Modeling: Multiple Least Squares Regression vs. Logistic Regression (PDF)(1 pg, 757 K)
• Beach Sand and the Potential for Infectious Disease Transmission: Observations and Recommendations (PDF)(1 pg, 2 MB)
• Methods to Sample E. coli in Foreshore Sand and Pore Water (PDF)(1 pg, 2 MB)
• How to Achieve a Major Reduction in Shore Pollution Using a Business Quality Approach (PDF)(1 pg, 2 MB)
• An Economic Evaluation of the Demand for Beach Safety Information (PDF)(1 pg, 1 MB)
• Predictive Modeling of Microbial Indicators for Timely Beach Notifications and Advisories at Marine Beaches (PDF)(1 pg, 4 MB)
• Process Relationships for Evaluating the Role of Light-induced Inactivation of Coliphages at Selected Beaches and Nearby Tributaries of the Great Lakes (PDF)(1 pg, 4 MB)