Beach Health

What's New
Is it safe to swim? Introducing Great Lakes BeachCast
(released 7/22/03)
Great Lakes beachgoers can now access an internet gateway to information on Great Lakes beach conditions, including health advisories, monitoring data and more. BeachCast, a service of the Great Lakes Commission and its Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN), is now available at www.glin.net/beachcast

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is concerned with public health risks posed by contaminated beach water. As a result, EPA is initiating the Beaches Environmental Assessment, Closure and Health (BEACH) Program to strengthen U.S. beach programs and water quality standards, better inform the public, and promote scientific research to further protect the health of beachgoers.

As part of the BEACH Program, the U.S. EPA will improve laboratory test methods for detecting contaminants in beach water, invest additional resources in beach water quality health and testing methods research, and help state, local and tribal government agencies adopt and carry out routine water quality monitoring programs.

The U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office is supporting the Great Lakes Commission in using the Great Lakes as a pilot for communicating the results of USEPA's National beach survey a beach health survey, assessing the current degree of consistency with beach closure and restriction advisories, generating a report of action items, and expediting a Great Lakes mapping effort that will connect with and enhance a national database.