Water quality being watched for beachgoers

Lake County General Health District will begin reporting beach water quality at area beaches.

The beach season starts on Memorial Day.

With that, the Lake County General Health District will begin reporting beach water quality at Mentor Headlands State Park Beach and Lake Metroparks Fairport Harbor Beach.

According to the Health District, they will have a staff member collect data and record observations each day. The data will be entered into a software program called “Virtual Beach” that uses a mathematical system developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to predict levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) — a bacterium that can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections and other illnesses — at the beach each day.

The model determines whether there will be greater than allowed amount of 235 E. coli per 100 milliliters of sample for that day. The models developed for each beach are site-specific. The results are reported to the beach operators each morning using Ohio Department of Health BEACHGUARD and Nowcast. If the results show that the water quality will not be good because of high levels of E. coli that day, the beach operators are notified and advised to post the “Advisory” sign. The health district said it validates the models three times each week for accuracy and reliability.

The health district recommends the public look for the water quality Nowcast signage at the beach when deciding whether to go into the water. It also recommends beachgoers avoid the water for 24 to 48 hours after a heavy rain storm of more than 0.5 inches in a 24-hour period because poor water quality is likely.

Beachgoers are encouraged to visit the LCGHD website at lcghd.org, click on the letter “B” tab and click on “Beaches” for more information on beach water quality and links to the ODH BEACHGUARD and Nowcast sites.

COURTESY OF THE LAKE COUNTY GENERAL HEALTH DISTRICT