Assessing Recreational Safety of Urban Marine Waters: Long-Term Coliform and Enterococcus Analysis

Regulatory shifts from coliform to Enterococcus bacteria have increased exposure to health risks and their consequences. In presumptive testing, elevated coliform levels in surface waters have been used as indicators of human health risks associated with recreational water use. Policy and regulatory changes over the past two decades have led to the discontinuation of coliforms as potential hazard indicators in recreational waters. This study analyzed a long-term dataset spanning over 40 years, examining the impact of human-treated water emissions, combined sewer outfalls, and other effluents in the urban Jamaica Bay ecosystem (New York, USA). The frequency and magnitude of both coliform and Enterococcus levels indicate a significant human health risk from recreational use of these waters. The disparity in exclusively using Enterococci compared with elevated total or fecal coliform indicator bacteria was significant. Coliforms should remain a key parameter for protecting public and environmental health from common pollution sources in urban marine waters.