A new research has suggested that contaminated groundwater can flow to the sea, showing a direct association between septic systems and coastal pollution.

In the initial research of its kind, scientists from Stanford University tracked a plume of contaminated groundwater from a septic system to one of Northern California's top recreational beaches.

They said that their findings could be a vital step toward making improvement in groundwater management in coastal communities throughout the US.

Since 2008, they have been making researching the flow of groundwater from a huge septic system at Stinson Beach, a favorite destination for swimmers and surfers about 36 km north of San Francisco.

In order to track groundwater pollution at Stinson Beach, the study scientists set up a network of 120 monitoring wells next to a large septic system near to a beach parking lot that amasses groundwater from nearby homes and public toilets.

The outcomes revealed low concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria - microbes, which are used by health officials in order to analyze water quality for beach closures.

Although few microbes made it out of the beach field alive, the scientists discovered a plume of nitrogen-enriched groundwater flowing through the sand toward the ocean.

Studies have shown that excess nitrogen can cause harmful blooms of phytoplankton and other algae that choke off oxygen in coastal waters.

Before this study, researchers had never observed in detail a plume of contaminated groundwater flowing from a septic system to the sea.

In a university news release made public Thursday, Boehm said, "We hope that this work will raise awareness of the importance of groundwater as a source of pollution, and that coastal communities will look at this source when considering conservation efforts." (With Inputs from Agencies)