To swim or not to swim, that is a question? Sadly, bathers throughout the Great Lakes all too frequently have to ask themselves whether their favorite beach poses a health hazard.
In 2006, for example, 181 notifications for contamination were issued at 52 Ohio beaches along the Lake Erie shoreline. Among the 52 beaches, 42, or 81 percent, had at least one advisory during the 2006 swimming months of June, July and August. Fortunately, most advisories were of short duration. Still, counting 6,076 beach days among the state’s 52 monitored Lake Erie beaches, warnings were issued on 731 days, or about 12 percent of the time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported.
Of Michigan’s 211 beaches monitored in 2006, notifications took place at 42, or 20 percent of the total. On the other hand, only 2 percent of the state’s total beach days, 478 of 19,651, required the posting of warnings. While what is known might not sound like much of a crisis, plenty remains unknown. Among the Michigan’s 971 recognized beaches, 760 went unmonitored in 2006. In fact, the number of beaches monitored actually declined for three straight years, from 219 in 2004, to 214 in 2005 and to 211 in 2006. So, whether swimmers are taking dips when it would be healthier to stay out of the water remains a mystery at about 78 percent of Michigan’s beaches.
The National Resources Defense Council has issued a downloadable report, entitled Beach Buddies and Beach Bums, on the best and worst beaches on the Great Lakes in 2006. The full report, which is available in a PDF file, can be downloaded here.
The most common cause of beach contamination is high bacteria counts. Typically, the bacteria arrive in overflow from nearby storm sewers and sanitation sewers after heavy rains. Another source of fecal bacteria, including e. coli, are heavy concentrations of birds, including gulls and cormorants.
It doesn’t have to be this way. You can help in the effort to restore the Great Lakes—so our kids and grandkids can swim without fear of getting sick. Get involved today to help protect our lakes, our drinking water, our public health, our economy, and our way of life.
Related posts:
- Caution: Great Lakes may be Hazardous to Your Health
- Can’t Fish, Can’t Swim, What Can You Do?
- Sewage and Beach Closings
- What is Taking so Long?
- Michigan Cities Benefit from Stimulus