Many populer public swimming beaches in Wisconsin have been closed over the past two summers, due to increased monitoring for bacteria.  Apparently, the water was unsafe in previous years also, but few samples were taken and no one was aware. 

It's likely that swimmers developed illnesses in the past without realizing why. The recent closures were triggered in the summer of 2002, when a suspicious outbreak of intestinal problems affected a large number of swimmers who were camped at Peninsula State Park, in Door County.  Samples were taken, and high coliform bacteria counts were noted.  Health departments were urged (or shamed) into taking samples at more Wisconsin beaches and found problems at dozens of sites. This set off a wave of publicity.

At the same time, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced the launch of a new monitoring program for the 170 public beaches which line Wisconsin's coasts on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, funded by a federal grant.  However, as DNR pointed out, the monitoring plan had been under development since 2001 to meet federal requirements for states to improve monitoring and public notification at their coastal beaches. 

“Unfortunately, the federal law and the available federal funding don’t get at identifying and reducing sources of contamination,”  said Toni Glymph, the DNR toxicologist leading the Beach Workgroup of state and local health and environmental officials.  “We realize those are critical needs, but this testing and notification plan is a start.  People need to be aware of risks and make informed choices.” 

Because funding was short, the DNR categorized beaches as high, medium, or low priority, to determine how frequently each beach will be monitored.  High priority beaches, for instance, may be monitored five times a week, compared to once a week for low priority beaches.  Coastal communities aren't required to adopt the monitoring and notification guidelines in the plan, but the DNR expected more than $200,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assist communities wanting to implement the plan in summer 2003. 

Currently, DNR staff are responsible for monitoring beaches at state properties, and tribal and local health departments are responsible for other public beaches within their borders.  Because testing is not mandatory and local communities are not required to follow state guidelines for monitoring beaches, Wisconsin suffers from a serious inconsistency in how frequently beaches are sampled, how people are notified of possible unsafe swimming conditions, and in reporting of beach closures. 

The DNR staff speculate that Wisconsin beaches may be contaminated due to a combination of factors - such as the location of sewage treatment plant outfalls, the population density of waterfowl, runoff problems, farms and industry. 

Comments on DNR’s  Beach Plan --- from Clean Water Action Council

1.  Locate the Causes   It’s an outrage that our state legislature and Governor have not allocated resources to determine the causes of beach contamination. 

2.  Warnings are Not Enough, Stop the Source   A warning system is not an adequate response to public health threats.  Our state and local health officials need to work harder to STOP the threats. Once sources are located, an enforcement program is needed for clean-up. 

3.  No Beach Should be Classified as “Low Priority” 

• It’s an open invitation for upstream pollution sources to be careless. 
• All waterways should be “swimmable” according to the federal Clean Water Act. 
• Under the Public Trust Doctrine all the waters of Wisconsin belong to the public.  Polluters should not be allowed to degrade “low priority” waters or restrict public uses of those waters.

5.  Get Money from the Polluters   The fees should be increased for water pollution permits to allow frequent testing of all waterways in Wisconsin.  Fees should be set per ton of pollution discharged, to encourage sources to reduce their pollution.   Lack of funding is a poor excuse for lack of monitoring.  If sources want the privilege of a pollution permit, they should have to prove they’re not causing health risks downstream. 

6.  Stop Blaming the Federal Government   As usual, the state is trying to shift blame to the federal government for lack of funding.  But these beaches are not in Washington DC. The state should be testing and taking action regardless of federal rules, and should not wait for full federal funding.  In fact, most people have been shocked to learn how lax Wisconsin beach testing and enforcement has been all these  years. 

7.  Tourism Requires Safety   Testing should be frequent and consistent statewide, especially given the  $13 billion annual value of Wisconsin’s tourism industry.  Visitors should be able to relax knowing they can go anywhere in the state assured of clean water.   At the same time, Wisconsin has a moral responsibility to give LOUD warnings if the water is not clean. 

8.  Track the Contamination   Testing should be frequent at mouths of rivers, at discharge pipes, at manure run-off sites, and at other potential sources to help track and stop contamination. 

9.  What About Inland Waters?   Why are only Great Lakes beaches targeted for a statewide testing program?  Inland lakes, rivers and streams should also be tested for safe swimming.  It’s obvious that this program is based entirely on a federal mandate and federal funding, while ignoring wider needs in Wisconsin. 

10.  Neglected Areas  The beach list doesn’t include obvious problem spots like Bay Beach in Brown County, or any waters off Oconto County.   Bay Beach is important to test, because the Fox River flows directly past it, then along the East Shore north to Door County.   Because of the dominant flow pattern, Bay Beach could signal a key source of contamination for this entire stretch of shoreline, and would help warn citizens along adjacent private shorelines.  Bay Beach is currently posted to warn against swimming, due to suspended sediments in the water, but official state and local plans include the ultimate goal of opening Bay Beach to swimming.  It is still often used by swimmers and waders every summer, and they deserve to know the true condition of the water.   Bay Beach serves a large metro area, with a high concentration of low income people living nearby, unable to afford vacations to clean northern beaches.  As a matter of environmental justice, they deserve equal treatment for this abused beach.  Lack of data here is unacceptable. 

11.  Public Hearings Needed   We need townhall-style public hearings, where we all get together to hear public comments, and the news media gets a truer sense of public opinion.  The Open House (cafeteria- style) events which DNR organized (to take comments on their beach monitoring plan) divide and conquer the public, by isolating citizens when they comment.  Outrage is stifled and democracy dies as the public feels their comments aren’t considered in DNR’s final decisions.  Legislators never hear the debate.

For More Information on Beaches

• Wisconsin's Beach Program - Including an Interactive Map of County Beaches - Wisconsin DNR

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/wm/wqs/beaches/index.html
 
• Great Lakes Beaches - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/glindicators/water/beacha.html
 
• Pollution-related Beach Closings - Natural Resources Defense Council

http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/nttw.asp

• Wisconsin Beach Closings Put a Damper on Summer Fun - Medical College of Wisconsin

http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1028065526.html
 
• Bacterial Contamination and Beach Closings

http://www.great-lakes.net/humanhealth/other/bacteria.html