For Immediate Release Date: May 19, 2016 Contact: Leslie Piotrowski (847) 377-8055 Carolyn Waller (847) 377-8099
Memorial Day
traditionally marks the unofficial start of summer. Lake County residents will
soon be heading for lakes and beaches.
Before you go, make sure you check to see if your favorite beach is open
for swimming.
From Memorial Day to
Labor Day, daily information is available about local Lake Michigan and inland
lake swim bans through the Lake County Health Department/Community Health
Center’s website by visiting: http://www.lakecountyil.gov/2385/Beach-Advisory. The Health Department is also sending
information about Lake Michigan swim bans to the Great Lakes Commission, which
has created a free phone application called myBeachCast available at http://glin.net/beachcast/ for beaches in the eight Great
Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio,
Pennsylvania and New York. The phone app not only tells whether the beach is
open or closed, but also provides the temperature, humidity, visibility and
wind speed at each beach.
“The Health
Department's Lakes Management Unit monitors just over 100 Lake Michigan and
inland lake beaches throughout the summer to ensure that the water is
acceptable for swimming,” said Mike Adam, senior biologist with the Lake County
Health Department/Community Health Center. “When our water sampling tests
indicate a high bacteria count, a swim ban is issued to keep people out of the
water until the water quality improves. High bacteria counts may be caused by
storm water runoff, sewage overflow, nearby septic failure, or large quantities
of droppings from geese or seagulls.”
Throughout the summer, Health Department staff samples 13 beaches along Lake
Michigan four days per week. The web page is updated daily by 10 a.m. These
beaches include:
·
North
Point Marina Beach Winthrop Harbor
·
Illinois
Beach State Park North Beach Zion
·
Illinois
Beach State Park South Beach Zion
·
Illinois
Beach State Park Resort Beach Zion
·
Waukegan
North Beach Waukegan
·
Waukegan
South Beach Waukegan
·
Lake
Bluff Dog Beach Lake Bluff
·
Lake
Bluff Sunrise Beach Lake Bluff
·
Forest
Park Beach Lake Forest
·
Moraine
Dog Beach Highland Park
·
Park
Avenue Beach Highland Park
·
Central
Avenue Beach Highland Park
·
Rosewood
Beach Highland Park
In addition to monitoring swimming beaches along Lake Michigan in Lake County,
the Health Department also monitors about 90 licensed beaches on inland lakes,
including the Chain O’Lakes.
Test samples taken from
lakes each summer exceed the water quality standards approximately 10 percent
of the time. When bacteria levels in the water are high, the Health Department
notifies the beach’s manager and a sign is posted indicating a swim ban is in
place. Since elevated bacteria levels may result in lake water after a rainfall
that washes pollutants into the lake, the Health Department advises residents
to avoid swimming after a large rain event.
Most swimming related
illnesses typically cause short-term health problems and usually are not
reported to or treated by health providers. The most common illness is
gastroenteritis, which causes diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain that
typically develops one to two days after exposure. Other illnesses include ear,
eye, nose and throat infections. Skin parasites such as ringworm and
schistosomiasis (swimmers itch) can be transmitted in areas of water
degradation. Although there are many serious illnesses transmitted through
water, swimmers are rarely exposed to these more serious diseases in the United
States.
The Health Department
also wants people to avoid other hazards when swimming in our lakes this
summer. In Lake Michigan, don’t swim during times of heavy surf (i.e., high
waves), which can overpower even the strongest swimmer. On inland lakes, occasional harmful algae
blooms may be occurring. Avoid areas where the water has a green or blue-green
appearance. Report any algae blooms to
the Health Department.
For more information on
beach monitoring, please call Lake County Health Department’s Environmental
Services at: (847) 377-8030.
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