The bathing beach recreation season officially begins on Memorial Day. The Lake County General Health District (LCGHD) will start reporting beach water quality at the two Lake County public beaches: Mentor Headlands State Park Beach and Lake Metroparks Fairport Harbor Beach. Every morning a member of staff will collect data and record observations. The data is then entered into a software program called Virtual Beach that uses a mathematical system developed by USEPA to predict the levels of E. coli at the beach each day.
The models developed for each beach are site-specific and will be used daily to determine the probability that the water quality will exceed the standard. The Health District will still collect water quality samples three times per week for E. coli analysis to validate each predictive model for accuracy and reliability. If the prediction indicates that the water quality is expected to exceed the standard the beach operators will be notified and advised to post the advisory sign.
The Health District recommends that the public look for the posted water quality signage at the beach when deciding whether to go into the water. Additionally, it is recommended that bathers avoid the water for 24-48 hours after a heavy rain of more than one-half of an inch in 24 hours, since the likelihood of poor water quality generally increases. Always shower as soon as possible after swimming in the lake. Beach goers are encouraged to visit www.lcghd.org/beaches for more information on beach water quality.
The week before Memorial Day (May 23-29, 2022) is National Healthy and Safe Swimming Week. The goal of this week was to maximize the health benefits of swimming by promoting healthy and safe swimming. For children ages one to 14, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death after motor vehicle crashes. While children are at highest risk, anyone can drown. Additionally, pool chemical injuries lead to about 4,500 U.S. emergency department visits each year, and over one-third of these preventable injuries are in children or teens.
For more info about LCGHD’s beach monitoring and public swimming pools programs, contact LCGHD at (440) 350-2543. For the beach program, contact Chris Loxterman at cloxterman@lcghd.org and for the swimming pools program, contact Cady Stromp at cstromp@lcghd.org.