Lake Superior Beach Monitoring Program
The Lake Superior Beach Monitoring and Notification Program exists to test recreational beach water and notify the public if bacteria levels become unsafe. This project will expand the Beach Program to include additional outreach efforts, sanitary surveys and testing of new technologies to improve the Beach Program. Monitoring results will be used to inform the public, find the sources of bacterial contamination and address polluted runoff from improper waste disposal.
Minnesota's Lake Superior Shoreline is lined with 80 beaches and visited by thousands of people each year. A significant portion of this coastline's recreational waters are subject to contamination from sources: urban runoff, overflows from wastewater collection and treatment facilities, discharge from boats,k human waste, animal feeding operations, pet wastes, and natural animal sources, such as wildlife. This contaminated water is a potential cause of gastrointestinal illness and other diseases.
$105,000 the first year and $105,000 the second year are for monitoring recreational beaches on Lake Superior for pollutants that may pose a public health risk and mitigating sources of bacterial contamination that are identified.
• Conduct sanitary surveys at 40 Lake Superior beaches.
• Combine sanitary survey information with monitoring data to explore predictive models as a method of forecasting beach water quality before samples are taken.
• Conducted sanitary surveys at 40 Lake Superior beaches. Surveys are compiled into maps for easy reference.
• Created 16 predictive models (2 for each of 8 beaches) as a method of forecasting beach water quality before samples are taken. Of the 16 models created, 7 met criteria that show promise for use in real-time health advisory listing.
o The predictive models are being pilot tested this summer to evaluate their performance in real-time conditions. If they pass pilot testing, they will be used in the 2017 beach season to post health advisories at certain Minnesota Lake Superior Beaches.
United States Environmental Protection Agency BEACH Act funds
$105,000 the first year and $105,000 the second year are for monitoring recreational beaches on Lake Superior for pollutants that may pose a public health risk and mitigating sources of bacterial contamination that are identified.
• Conduct sanitary surveys at 40 Lake Superior beaches.
• Combine sanitary survey information with monitoring data to explore predictive models as a method of forecasting beach water quality before samples are taken.
• Conducted sanitary surveys at 40 Lake Superior beaches. Surveys are compiled into maps for easy reference.
• Created 16 predictive models (2 for each of 8 beaches) as a method of forecasting beach water quality before samples are taken. Of the 16 models created, 7 met criteria that show promise for use in real-time health advisory listing.
o The predictive models are being pilot tested this summer to evaluate their performance in real-time conditions. If they pass pilot testing, they will be used in the 2017 beach season to post health advisories at certain Minnesota Lake Superior Beaches.
United States Environmental Protection Agency BEACH Act funds