Each year, more than 24 billion gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater are dumped into the Great Lakes along with massive amounts of polluted runoff. Last summer alone, 84 beaches were unfit for swimming for at least 14 days because of dirty water!

Everyone and everything needs clean, fresh water to live and thrive. The Great Lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world, supplying drinking water to more than 40 million people -- many of whom depend on the lakes for work and recreation. Americans are fortunate to share the continent with the Great Lakes, yet pollution threatens the health of the lakes.

Keep the Great Lakes healthy by urging your senators to support the Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act of 2009 (S. 878) -- a bill that would attack beach contamination by knocking out pollution at the source.