Beach health in Wisconsin Completed
Beach water-quality (beach health) data are collected for both coastal and inland Wisconsin beaches. These data are collected and analyzed by multiple agencies throughout Wisconsin including local health departments, universities, state agencies, and federal agencies including the USGS.
Water recreation and associated tourism provide wide-ranging economic opportunities and societal benefits to the Great Lakes Region. Unfortunately, coastal areas can become contaminated with pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms) of fecal origin that threaten the health of people who swim in coastal waters. Beach advisories and closures are intended to protect swimmers from illness caused by fecal contamination; however, several problems face beach managers who issue advisories or closures or try to solve contamination problems:
- Traditional lab analyses for beach water quality take too long
- Sources of fecal contamination in recreational waters are often unknown
- Recreational waters are seldom monitored for actual pathogens
- Data used to study recreational waters are sometimes inconsistent between beaches
In conjunction with the Great Lakes Beach Health Initiative, scientists explore the use of real-time assessments, nowcast modeling, source tracking, coastal-process evaluation, effectiveness of remediation activities, and multi-agency data aggregation and analysis to help solve these problems.
Wisconsin beach health data
Wisconsin has about 190 public beaches along the Lake Michigan and Lake Superior coastline; about 113 are regularly monitored. State park inland beaches are also monitored.
Beach water-quality (beach health) data are collected for both coastal and inland Wisconsin beaches. These data are collected and analyzed by the USGS, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the City of Milwaukee Health Department, and the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. Data is supplied to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in national-level data collection. Current and historical beach-health data are available at the Wisconsin Beach Health website. You can also sign up for Wisconsin beach health email advisories or RSS feed.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Comparative evaluation of statistical and mechanistic models of Escherichia coli at beaches in southern Lake Michigan
Predicting recreational water quality advisories: A comparison of statistical methods
Human and bovine viruses and bacteria at three Great Lakes beaches: Environmental variable associations and health risk
Human and bovine viruses in the Milwaukee River Watershed: hydrologically relevant representation and relations with environmental variables
Virtual Beach 3: user's guide
Developing and implementing the use of predictive models for estimating water quality at Great Lakes beaches
Predictive models have been used at beaches to improve the timeliness and accuracy of recreational water-quality assessments over the most common current approach to water-quality monitoring, which relies on culturing fecal-indicator bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli.). Beach-specific predictive models use environmental and water-quality variables that are easily and quickly measured as s
Partial least squares for efficient models of fecal indicator bacteria on Great Lakes beaches
Evaluation of potential sources and transport mechanisms of fecal indicator bacteria to beach water, Murphy Park Beach, Door County, Wisconsin
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
Beach water-quality (beach health) data are collected for both coastal and inland Wisconsin beaches. These data are collected and analyzed by multiple agencies throughout Wisconsin including local health departments, universities, state agencies, and federal agencies including the USGS.
Water recreation and associated tourism provide wide-ranging economic opportunities and societal benefits to the Great Lakes Region. Unfortunately, coastal areas can become contaminated with pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms) of fecal origin that threaten the health of people who swim in coastal waters. Beach advisories and closures are intended to protect swimmers from illness caused by fecal contamination; however, several problems face beach managers who issue advisories or closures or try to solve contamination problems:
- Traditional lab analyses for beach water quality take too long
- Sources of fecal contamination in recreational waters are often unknown
- Recreational waters are seldom monitored for actual pathogens
- Data used to study recreational waters are sometimes inconsistent between beaches
In conjunction with the Great Lakes Beach Health Initiative, scientists explore the use of real-time assessments, nowcast modeling, source tracking, coastal-process evaluation, effectiveness of remediation activities, and multi-agency data aggregation and analysis to help solve these problems.
Wisconsin beach health data
Wisconsin has about 190 public beaches along the Lake Michigan and Lake Superior coastline; about 113 are regularly monitored. State park inland beaches are also monitored.
Beach water-quality (beach health) data are collected for both coastal and inland Wisconsin beaches. These data are collected and analyzed by the USGS, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the City of Milwaukee Health Department, and the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. Data is supplied to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in national-level data collection. Current and historical beach-health data are available at the Wisconsin Beach Health website. You can also sign up for Wisconsin beach health email advisories or RSS feed.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Comparative evaluation of statistical and mechanistic models of Escherichia coli at beaches in southern Lake Michigan
Statistical and mechanistic models are popular tools for predicting the levels of indicator bacteria at recreational beaches. Researchers tend to use one class of model or the other, and it is difficult to generalize statements about their relative performance due to differences in how the models are developed, tested, and used. We describe a cooperative modeling approach for freshwater beaches imAuthorsAmmar Safaie, Aaron Wendzel, Zhongfu Ge, Meredith Nevers, Richard L. Whitman, Steven R. Corsi, Mantha S. PhanikumarPredicting recreational water quality advisories: A comparison of statistical methods
Epidemiological studies indicate that fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in beach water are associated with illnesses among people having contact with the water. In order to mitigate public health impacts, many beaches are posted with an advisory when the concentration of FIB exceeds a beach action value. The most commonly used method of measuring FIB concentration takes 18–24 h before returning a resAuthorsWesley R. Brooks, Steven R. Corsi, Michael N. Fienen, Rebecca B. CarvinHuman and bovine viruses and bacteria at three Great Lakes beaches: Environmental variable associations and health risk
Waterborne pathogens were measured at three beaches in Lake Michigan, environmental factors for predicting pathogen concentrations were identified, and the risk of swimmer infection and illness was estimated. Waterborne pathogens were detected in 96% of samples collected at three Lake Michigan beaches in summer, 2010. Samples were quantified for 22 pathogens in four microbial categories (human virAuthorsSteven R. Corsi, Mark A. Borchardt, Rebecca B. Carvin, Tucker R Burch, Susan K. Spencer, Michelle A. Lutz, Colleen M. McDermott, Kimberly M. Busse, Gregory Kleinheinz, Xiaoping Feng, Jun ZhuHuman and bovine viruses in the Milwaukee River Watershed: hydrologically relevant representation and relations with environmental variables
To examine the occurrence, hydrologic variability, and seasonal variability of human and bovine viruses in surface water, three stream locations were monitored in the Milwaukee River watershed in Wisconsin, USA, from February 2007 through June 2008. Monitoring sites included an urban subwatershed, a rural subwatershed, and the Milwaukee River at the mouth. To collect samples that characterize variAuthorsSteven R. Corsi, M. A. Borchardt, S. K. Spencer, Peter E. Hughes, Austin K. BaldwinVirtual Beach 3: user's guide
Virtual Beach version 3 (VB3) is a decision support tool that constructs site-specific statistical models to predict fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentrations at recreational beaches. VB3 is primarily designed for beach managers responsible for making decisions regarding beach closures or the issuance of swimming advisories due to pathogen contamination. However, researchers, scientists, engAuthorsMike Cyterski, Wesley Brooks, Mike Galvin, Kurt Wolfe, Rebecca Carvin, Tonia Roddick, Mike Fienen, Steve CorsiDeveloping and implementing the use of predictive models for estimating water quality at Great Lakes beaches
Predictive models have been used at beaches to improve the timeliness and accuracy of recreational water-quality assessments over the most common current approach to water-quality monitoring, which relies on culturing fecal-indicator bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli.). Beach-specific predictive models use environmental and water-quality variables that are easily and quickly measured as s
AuthorsDonna S. Francy, Amie M. G. Brady, Rebecca B. Carvin, Steven R. Corsi, Lori M. Fuller, John H. Harrison, Brett A. Hayhurst, Jeremiah Lant, Meredith B. Nevers, Paul J. Terrio, Tammy M. ZimmermanPartial least squares for efficient models of fecal indicator bacteria on Great Lakes beaches
At public beaches, it is now common to mitigate the impact of water-borne pathogens by posting a swimmer's advisory when the concentration of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) exceeds an action threshold. Since culturing the bacteria delays public notification when dangerous conditions exist, regression models are sometimes used to predict the FIB concentration based on readily-available environmentaAuthorsWesley R. Brooks, Michael N. Fienen, Steven R. CorsiEvaluation of potential sources and transport mechanisms of fecal indicator bacteria to beach water, Murphy Park Beach, Door County, Wisconsin
Fecal Indicator Bacteria (FIB) concentrations in beach water have been used for many years as a criterion for closing beaches due to potential health concerns. Yet, current understanding of sources and transport mechanisms that drive FIB occurrence remains insufficient for accurate prediction of closures at many beaches. Murphy Park Beach, a relatively pristine beach on Green Bay in Door County, WAuthorsPaul F. Juckem, Steven R. Corsi, Colleen McDermott, Gregory Kleinheinz, Lisa R. Fogarty, Sheridan K. Haack, Heather E. Johnson - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.