By Jim Bloch
County health departments in Michigan issued more than twice as many swimming advisories and beach closures in 2024 than in 2023.
In 2024, 289 advisories and closures were issued compared to 127 in 2023.
But the overall water quality at Michigan’s beaches likely did not decline in any dramatic fashion from last year to this year.
“Just my initial observation for 2024 was that beaches were significantly impacted by rain and storms,” said Dr. Shannon Briggs, coordinator of beach monitoring for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, as quoted in a story in For the Love of Water’s Dec. 10 newsletter. “The dates of the closures are clustered for the beaches. It seemed the storms arrived early in the week and that is when most monitoring occurs.”
In other words, the issue was one of the timing and intensity of rain storms that washed bacteria, chemicals and other pollutants into the waterways – and not permanently contaminated water.
“Beaches are typically monitored Mondays and Tuesdays. Followup samples are collected on Wednesdays and Thursdays,” said Shannon. “Most labs don’t take samples on Friday because they have to wait until Saturday for the culture-based results. However, there are some labs that use qPCR methods and can test beaches on Fridays.”
According to FLOW, last year’s 127 advisories and closures occurred at 106 beaches in 38 counties monitored by 28 local health departments. This year, 289 advisories and closures occurred at 167 beaches in 48 counties monitored by 33 local health departments.
In 2023, 530 beaches in 67 counties were monitored by 37 local health departments; in 2024, 521 beaches in 67 counties were monitored by 37 departments.
St. Clair County
In St. Clair County, EGLE’s Beachguard website lists 20 public beaches and nine private beaches. The St. Clair County Health Department monitors the water quality at eight public beaches from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
In 2024, based upon press releases from the department, the department issued advisories for various beaches on 10 occasions.
The department issued an advisory for Keewadhin Beach on May 29; Holland Road Beach, May 30; Chrysler and Holland beaches, July 11; and Chrysler, Holland, Lakeside, Lighthouse, Keewadhin and Fort Gratiot County Park Beach, July 17.
In 2023, the department issued six advisories for various beaches, including Keewadhin, Lakeside, Holland, Lighthouse and Marine City beaches on Aug. 18, and for Lakeside Beach, June 28.
The health department tests for the presence of E. coli in the water.
“E. coli bacteria are a common microbe found in the digestive systems of warm-blooded animals, including humans, and can indicate the presence of fecal contamination,” the department explained in its press releases. “Beach goers should be aware elevated E. coli levels are possible after a storm or strong winds because bacteria are carried in storm water runoff, including drainage from creeks and ditches, and stirred up from waves.”
E. coli serves as indicator bacteria for the health department. Its presence may mean that other bacteria and viruses, such as Salmonella and norvirus, are also present in the water.
Ingesting water contaminated with E. coli may cause various intensities of diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting. In susceptible populations, such as children or older people, kidney failure may occur.
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
