It’s not state-mandated but trained St. Clair County staff does testing
By Barb Pert Templeton
Making sure the water quality stays safe at beaches throughout St. Clair County this summer means having health department staff conduct regular testing at recreational waters across the area.
In a press release on June 15 the St. Clair County Health Department (SCCHD) announced the beach monitoring and said in all, eight of the county’s public beaches will be tested for E. coli. The monitored beaches include: Lakeport State Park (Lakeport), Fort Gratiot County Beach (Fort Gratiot), Keewahdin Road Beach (Fort Gratiot), Lakeside Beach (Port Huron), Holland Road Beach (Port Huron), Lighthouse Beach (Port Huron), Chrysler Beach (Marysville), and Marine City Beach (Marine City).
In Michigan, beach monitoring is a non-mandated voluntary program for local health departments. SCCHD maintains this valuable service and remains committed to continuing the program through grant funding. The program’s goal is to keep the beaches of St. Clair County healthy and operating for residents and visitors to enjoy.
Beaches are tested weekly May through September. Results are posted within 24 hours. In the event that an elevated result is received, additional testing will occur. a beach’s E. coli test results are above the acceptable water quality range as dictated by the State of Michigan Health Code, a Water Quality Advisory will be issued. SCCHD will issue a media release announcing when a Water Quality Advisory is issued and when the notice has been lifted.
These releases are shared on the SCCHD Website as well as posted on the Health Department’s Facebook page and the St. Clair County Beaches Facebook page.
Signage is then posted at the affected beach(s) informing people that bacterial levels are unsafe for swimming.
The program’s goal is to keep the beaches of St. Clair County healthy and operating for residents and visitors to enjoy.
Blue Water Healthy Living caught up with Environmental Health Educator Mollie Brown via email to find out more about the program.
Blue Water Healthy Living: How does this “volunteer” program work? How does one become a volunteer?
Environmental Health Educator Mollie Brown: This program does not use community volunteers to collect water samples. The St. Clair County Health Department participates in the program on a voluntary basis, as participation is not required for local health departments. All water samples are collected by trained St. Clair County Health Department staff in accordance with program requirements.
BWHL: How often do they conduct the tests and how long does it take to get results?
Brown: Water quality monitoring takes place weekly at 8 public beaches (Lakeport State Campground, Fort Gratiot County Park, Keewadin Road Beach, Lakeside Beach, Holland Road Beach, Lighthouse Beach, Chrysler Beach, and Marine City Beach) May through September. The Colilert test takes 18 hours to process. Results are received the next business day. Additionally, two beaches (Holland Road Beach and Chrysler Beach) are participating in an experimental test, the QPCR test, which produces results in four hours. These two beaches are monitored twice weekly.
BWHL: Is there a way for people to report an issue with water at their local beaches if they suspect something or have reactions? How do they do that – email, phone call?
Brown: SCCHD has a Water Quality Tipline; call 877-504-SWIM to report concerns or listen to current water quality advisories.
BWHL: Is this service important to the health department? Why?
Brown: SCCHD maintains an active role in the Bathing Beach Monitoring Program through the state of Michigan. Preventing waterborne illnesses and maintaining water quality are essential components of the department’s mission to be the trusted public health expert for our community and our environment.
To stay up to date with beach testing results visit the MiEnviro BeachGuard Website or call the SCCHD Water Quality Tipline at 877-504-SWI.
