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36 Illinois Parks and Recreation SPECIAL FOCUS Clearly, water quality is important to the sustenance of life and how we live. However, not until fairly recently did we realize the impact clean water has on how we play. Chicago, like other cities, enjoys a beautiful lakefront where hosts of residents and visitors gather to enjoy a variety of activities. Particularly during the summer months, beachgoers take to Lake Michigan to find respite. With thousands recreating in the lake every summer day, the Chicago Park District shoulders the great responsibility of ensuring beachgoers that the lake's water conditions are safe. The Chicago Park District practices one of the most proactive beach water testing procedures in the nation. This effort greatly minimizes the public health risks associated with lake water contamination. Now in its third year, the procedure used by the park district is an E. coli bacteria test recommended by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Guidelines under the EPA's recommendations are based on a tiered sampling and monitoring plan, which requires agencies to rank their beaches as high, medium or low priority. This ranking is based on the following criteria: 1) amount of rainfall, 2) the frequency of known or potential pollution sources, 3) density of users, 4) the occurrence of malfunctioning septic systems, and 5) public opinion on which beaches they would like to see monitored. The EPA recommends that high priority beaches are tested weekly while low priority beaches undergo testing annually or when a complaint is made. Guidelines also suggest one sample be taken at knee-depth from the middle of the bathing beach.
In conjunction with the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Chicago Park District monitoring procedures far exceed the EPA's recommendations as well as requirements of the Illinois Swimming Pool and Bathing Beach Code 77, which mandates public beach water samples be collected and tested every two weeks. The park district conducts testing daily throughout the summer at its 31 lakefront beaches and one inland beach. Tests are also conducted on the weekend if a particular location has two consecutive high readings. Chicago Park District testing procedures also surpass federal recommendations by extracting at least three samples from each beach (up to five samples for larger beaches). Samples are then transported to the Illinois State Department of Health laboratory, in coolers for preservation, where the E. coli test is performed. When a beach has two consecutive days of unacceptable levels of bacteria (more than 235 E. coli bacteria per 100 milliliters), a swimming ban is implemented. Patrons are not allowed in the water until further tests conclude that the bacteria level is within acceptable limits, as outlined by the U.S. EPA. Without the implementation of regular and rigorous water testing, agencies run the risk of compromising the public's susceptibility to serious health conditions. There are both manmade and Mother Nature-related causes for unacceptable bacteria levels in Lake Michigan. For example, when storm events create significant rainfall, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District opens the locks at Wilmette, the Chicago River or Calumet River to avoid flooding. The sewage from this outflow results in concentrated lake contamination; a swimming ban is then in effect for 48 hours. POSTERS AT CHICAGO'S BEACH HOUSES ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS TO KEEP BEACHES CLEAN July/August 2002 37 Studies have also shown there is a direct correlation between high bacteria levels and high winds, low lake levels, wave currents, animal waste, and beach configurations. Studies have also shown there is a direct correlation between high bacteria levels and high winds, low lake levels, wave currents, animal waste, and beach configurations. Each of these elements plays a role in elevated readings. Keep in mind, as with all natural ecosystems, a certain level of bacteria always will exist and is necessary to sustain them. When water testing results in a swimming ban, the Chicago Park District implements its public notification procedures. Educating and alerting residents about unacceptable bacteria levels help quell negative public reaction to swimming bans. When a swimming ban occurs, swimmers are not allowed in the water. However, the beach is open to play games, walk, relax, read a book, visit the concessions, or ride a bike.
The educational campaign also encourages residents to take proactive measures for their own environmental responsibility by keeping the beaches as clean as possible. Public notification is accomplished by a variety of methods, including the following. • Internal notification • Press releases to all major news outlets • Update on Chicago Park District Web site • Update on Chicago Park District voicemail system (312.742.PLAY and 311, the city's information hotline) • Red flag system designating that swimming is not permitted • Educational campaign including posters at beach houses and on lifeguard stands In addition to beach testing procedures, the Chicago Park District exercises other measures to keep its 24-mile shoreline as clean as possible. During beach season (the Friday before Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend), beaches are cleaned daily. Last year, the park district invested in the Beach Tech 3000, a state-of-the-art, German-made machine designed to sift through wet or dry sand picking up even the smallest pieces of debris. An adequate number of trash cans are also placed strategically along the beaches to encourage proper trash disposal. Chicago Park District, in conjunction with the Chicago Department of Environment and the Lake Michigan Federation, are collaborating to identify and reduce contamination sources. We continue to strive for clean beaches, good water quality and to maintain our city's greatest recreational resource. Michele Jones is the assistant press secretory for the Chicago Park District. Ann Ziolkowski is the lakefront region marketing manager for the Chicago Park District.
Related Web Sites
On April 2, 2002, U.S. EPA Administrator Christine Whitman announced the Great Lakes Strategy 2002 to streamline efforts of the many governmental partners involved with protecting the Great Lakes. For more, see http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/gls/index.html.
Last year Illinois beach closings skyrocketed, from 339 closings in 2001 compared to 10 in 1994, with nearly 2 billion gallons of untreated wastewater discharged to the lake as a result of severe storms. Recent studies show that when beaches close, communities can lose millions of dollars in tourism income. — Lake Michigan Federation, May 2002
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