More than half of Texas rivers, lakes and swimming holes — including some in San Antonio — had dangerous levels of fecal bacteria at least once during the past two years, according to a new report.
The analysis from Environment Texas Research & Policy Center found that 59% of the 367 monitoring locations at Texas’ inland waterways recorded at least one day when E. coli bacteria reached potentially unsafe levels for swimming during 2024 and 2025.
Beyond that, 53% had potentially unsafe levels on at least one-quarter of the days they were tested. Those monitoring locations included ones on bodies of water around the Alamo City, including the San Antonio River and Cibolo, Leon and Piedras creeks.
“Texans rely on our rivers and lakes for a place to swim on a hot day, but sometimes the water isn’t as safe as it should be,” Environment Texas Executive Director Luke Metzger said in an emailed statement. “We ought to have access to clean, healthy water when we visit our waterways in Texas.”
An estimated 87 million cases of illness annually are associated with swimming, fishing, paddling and boating on U.S. waterways.
While a city ordinance bars people from swimming in the San Antonio River, some of the state’s waterways with recurring bacteria contamination are actively used for recreation, Environment Texas officials cautioned.
For example, Central Texas’ Blanco River — a swimming, boating and fishing destination for many Alamo City outdoor enthusiasts — posted potentially unsafe fecal bacteria levels at three of the five testing locations analyzed on at least one day in 2024 and 2025, according to the report.
Common sources of fecal indicator bacteria in Lone Star State waterways include sewage spills and overflows, stormwater runoff and failing septic systems, all of which state and local authorities can mitigate by maintaining and fixing their infrastructure, according to the report. Nonpartisan public-policy group Texas 2036 estimates the state will need $21.1 billion over the next 50 years to repair and upgrade wastewater infrastructure.
Metzger pointed to Proposition 4, which Texas voters approved last year, as an opportunity to improve the quality of Texas waterways. That ballot measure provides billions of dollars to fund the state’s future water needs. He urged leaders to prioritize investments that curb sewage spills, upgrade wastewater treatment and keep pollution from running off into lakes and rivers.
The report also calls for state and local officials to expand water quality monitoring.
“Texas is making a historic investment in our water future, and that should include protecting the water we already have,” Metzger said. “State leaders should use this opportunity to fix failing wastewater infrastructure and make our rivers, lakes and streams cleaner and safer for swimming.”
Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
