摘要：The influx of users to recreational beaches in-creases during vacation periods with potential effects on water quality and public health. This study was carried out in a rural recreational beach in northwest Mexico. We hypothesized that the massive influx of users during vacation periods exceeds the carrying capacity of the beach, being a source of fecal pollu-tion that poses risks to public health. To test the hy-pothesis, we estimated the carrying capacity of the beach and measured the actual influxofusers and the concentration of fecal indicator bacteria in beach wa-ter before, during,and after the Easter holiday (EH). The concentrations of total and fecal coliform bacte-ria in water provided evidence of recent fecal pollu-tion during and after EH. The concentration ofenter-ococci before EH showed low levels that indicate no risk to the health of users, but increased to health risk levels during and two months after EH. Our results highlight the importance of implementing manage-ment strategies that include installing sufficient in-frastructure and sanitation services, as well as regu-lating the entry of visitors and pets according to the carrying capacity of the beach.
