Bayou Chico is a saltwater beach in Escambia County, Florida. Across 900 bacteria samples collected between 2021 and 2024 at nearby monitoring stations, it earns a Beach Safety Grade of F — Failing.
About 29% of samples at Bayou Chico exceeded the EPA Beach Action Value of 235 CFU/100 mL for Escherichia coli — the threshold at which water managers typically post a swimming advisory. In practice that means the safe-swimming limit was frequently crossed here over the monitored period. Bacteria samples exceed the safe-swimming threshold a large share of the time — this beach flags advisories often.
The evidence behind this grade is deep for a beach page: 900 results from 34 monitoring stations, spanning 2021 to 2024. Enough sampling, from enough places, over enough seasons that one bad week can't drive the letter.
Bayou Chico was not under a swimming advisory in the most recent EPA snapshot. Conditions can change quickly after heavy rain or high runoff, so it's still worth checking the current advisory the day you go.