Fecal bacteria levels for Texas beaches going into the Memorial Day weekend

The proposed site for SpaceX spaceport at Boca Chica Beach Friday, Aug. 22, 2014, in Brownsville. The state of Texas and SpaceX announced that the rocket company will build a spaceport at the site in South Texas. less The proposed site for SpaceX spaceport at Boca Chica Beach Friday, Aug. 22, 2014, in Brownsville. The state of Texas and SpaceX announced that the rocket company will build a spaceport at the site in South ... more Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Houston Chronicle Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 51 Caption Close Fecal bacteria levels for Texas beaches going into the Memorial Day weekend 1 / 51 Back to Gallery

On the heels of the Memorial Day weekend, many families will be heading down to their favorite beaches to cool off from recent hot temperatures.

In Texas, many will be traveling to the Gulf Coast to catch some waves and sun. However, many of those beach-goers probably won't be thinking about what's in the water.

Bacteria are alive and well in coastal recreational waters, according to the Texas General Land Office's Beach Watch program. Beach Watch monitors Texas' recreational beaches for Enterococcus bacteria, sometimes called fecal matter. Water samples are collected and analyzed weekly, and the results are posted on Texasbeachwatch.com.

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According to the state program, the bacteria it tests for in Texas' coastal waters come from a variety of sources including storm and flood runoff, boating waste, sewage overflows and general waste from humans and animals.

Click through the gallery to see beach quality levels at popular Texas vacation destinations:

Candice.Garcia@express-news.net | Twitter @_candicegarcia