Avoid contact with this Tacoma waterway for 2 days after rain, officials warn
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Health dept says avoid water south of S 11th Street bridge for 48 hours after rain.
- Officials advise no kayaking, paddleboarding or contact to avoid bacterial illness risks.
- Previous reporting said Thea Foss Waterway among nation’s most polluted waterways.
Avoid touching waters south of the bridge crossing the Thea Foss Waterway at South 11th Street for 48 hours after it rains due to the risk of harmful bacteria, health department officials advise.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department released the advisory Monday afternoon. People should “also avoid any recreational activities like kayaking and paddleboarding,” the warning said.
People who come into contact with bacteria that washes into the waterway after rainfall could develop nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, the release said.
Kenny Via, a health department spokesperson, wrote in an email Monday that the advisory “is a seasonal water contact advisory for the Thea Foss waterway we issued for the first time last fall.”
“We’ve seen a gradual increase there of enterococci, which correlates with swimming-related illness, during the rainy season since about 2021,” he wrote.
Asked about the expected duration of the advisory, Via wrote that officials will look to lift it in March 2026. The “wet season” tends to run from October to March, he continued.
“We plan to issue similar advisories every year until wet season enterococci levels no longer pose a public health risk,” he wrote.
The Surfrider Foundation, an environmental nonprofit, tested 567 beaches and other popular sites in 2023 and found that the Thea Foss Waterway was one of the most polluted recreational waterways in the country, The News Tribune reported.
A Surfrider field staffer told The News Tribune last year that factors such as wildlife, leaky septic tanks or dysfunctional wastewater infrastructure could be causing the contamination.
Those with questions can email ehsurfacewater-shellfish@tpchd.org, and more information is available at tpchd.org/beach. Active water advisories are posted at tpchd.org/advisories.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a comment from a health department spokesperson about the expected duration of the advisory.
This story was originally published October 7, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
