The majority of the most popular beaches in Texas are reporting low levels of fecal matter indicator bacteria ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Dina Arévalo
Fourth of July beach trip for America’s 250th birthday? Say less! But could there be something lurking in those warm Gulf of Mexico waters? The Texas General Land Office, or GLO, tracks levels of fecal bacteria at dozens of sites across Texas’ 367 miles of coastline as part of the Texas Beach Watch program.
GLO volunteers and contractors gather and test water samples for enterococcus bacteria, a potentially harmful bacteria that can indicate the level of fecal matter in the water. GLO officials call enterococcus “an umbrella bacteria” whose presence can serve as a sort of canary in a coal mine indicating the presence of other harmful pathogens.
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Texas Beach Watch regularly posts water quality test results online with a stoplight system of red, yellow or green-colored pins on a map that allow people to know at a glance how their local beaches are faring. Green pins mean fecal bacteria are low — at a “most probable number,” or “mpn,” of 35 or fewer per 100 milliliters of water, which is indicated as 35 mpn/100 ml. Yellow pins mean bacteria levels are slightly elevated — what Texas Beach Watch labels as “medium” — and fall somewhere between 35 and 104 mpn/100 ml. And red pins indicate high levels of bacteria — anything above 104 mpn/100 ml.
As of Wednesday, July 1, testing at several sites in Freeport, at Bob Hall Pier in Corpus Christi, and at one spot on the Bolivar Peninsula indicated high levels of bacteria. A number of factors can cause bacteria levels to spike, including stormwater and agricultural runoff. Fortunately, the state’s most popular beaches, like South Padre Island, Port Aransas and Galveston, are all in the green. Below are the levels at some of the most popular beaches in Texas.
The majority of the most popular beaches in Texas are reporting low levels of fecal matter indicator bacteria ahead of the 2026 Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Dina Arévalo
High levels of fecal matter outside Freeport
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Date Sampled: June 29, 2026
Reading: Three testing sites in Brazoria County, just outside Freeport, showed high levels ranging from 1,370 to 2,840 mpn/100ml. That includes Quintana Beach County Park.
High levels of fecal matter on the Bolivar Peninsula
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Date Sampled: June 29, 2026
Reading: Fifteen testing sites all along the gulfside of the Bolivar Peninsula showed high levels between 221 and 1,950 mpn/100ml. The highest levels were found at Church Street and at a Crystal Beach testing site at O’Neil Road, which tested at 110 mpn/100ml and 158 mpn/100ml, respectively. Three other Crystal Beach testing sites reported medium levels between 73 and 98 mpn/100ml, while sites closer to town tested low between 20 and 30 mpn/100ml.
High levels of fecal matter north of Bob Hall Pier
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Date Sampled: June 30, 2026
Reading: One testing site along the seawall just north of Bob Hall Pier in Corpus Christi showed high levels between 148 mpn/100ml.
Fecal matter levels at Corpus Christi
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Date Sampled: June 29-30, 2026
Reading: All other testing sites on North Padre Island, including Malaquite Beach, and all the bayside accesses like North Beach and the Corpus Christi Marina, showed low levels between 5 and 57 mpn/100ml.
Fecal matter levels at Mustang Island State Park
Bacteria level: Mixed
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Date Sampled: June 29, 2026
Reading: All testing sites at Mustang Island State Park showed low levels of 5-10 MPN/100 mL.
Fecal matter levels at Port Aransas
Bacteria level: Low to Medium
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Date Sampled: June 29, 2026
Reading: Two out of six testing sites in Port Aransas — including at IB Magee Beach park — showed medium levels at 41 mpn/100ml. The other four testing sites reported low levels.
Fecal matter levels in Galveston
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Date Sampled: June 30, 2026
Reading: All 24 testing sites at the City of Galveston testing sites showed low to medium levels at 5 to 52 mpn/100ml. Medium levels were seen at the Fort Crockett Seawall Park, Beach Plaza Shopping Center, 39th Street, Pleasure Pier, 14th and 15th Streets, and Stewart Beach testing sites.
Fecal matter levels at Galveston Island State Park
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Date Sampled: June 30, 2026
Reading: Four testing sites showed levels between 5 and 20 mpn/100ml
Fecal matter levels at Surfside
Bacteria level: Low to Medium
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Date Sampled: June 29, 2026
Reading: One site on Beach Drive showed a medium level of 41 MPN/100 mL. Four other Surfside test sites showed low levels ranging from 5 to 26 MPN/100 mL.
The majority of the most popular beaches in Texas are reporting low levels of fecal matter indicator bacteria ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, including all sites on South Padre Island, where this abandoned pod has become a public art display.
Dina Arévalo
Fecal matter levels at Jamaica Beach
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Date Sampled: June 30, 2026
Reading: One site showed levels at 5 mpn/100ml
Mixed levels of fecal matter at Matagorda Beach
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Date Sampled: June 29, 2026
Reading: One testing site at Jetty Park showed medium levels between 41 mpn/100ml. The remaining three sites show low levels between 5 and 20 mpn/100ml.
Fecal matter levels at Boca Chica Beach
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Date Sampled: June 29, 2026
Reading: Six testing sites showed levels between 5 and 30 mpn/100ml
Fecal matter levels at Isla Blanca Park, South Padre Island
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Date Sampled: June 30, 2026
Reading: Four testing sites showed levels at 5 mpn/100ml
Fecal matter levels at South Padre Island city beach accesses
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Date Sampled: June 30, 2026
Reading: Eight testing sites within the city limits showed levels between 5 and 20 mpn/100ml
Fecal matter levels at Cameron County Beach Access #6, South Padre Island
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Date Sampled: June 30, 2026
All other Cameron County-owned South Padre Island beach accesses also showed low bacteria levels.
Fecal matter levels at Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass
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Date Sampled: June 29, 2026
Reading: One site at Sea Rim State Park showed medium levels of bacteria between 52 mpn/100ml. Three other sites showed low- to medium levels between 5 and 20 mpn/100ml.
Fecal matter levels at McFaddin State Park, Sabine Pass
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Date Sampled: June 29, 2026
Reading: Six sites at McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge showed low levels between 5 and 26 mpn/100ml.