Overview

• As of July 2, 16 Chicagoland beaches remain closed for E. coli contamination or erosion following routine monitoring.
• Beaches in New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Michigan and California have also been shut or flagged for no-swim advisories after bacterial counts surpassed health limits.
• Lake County health officials now conduct daily retests when initial samples show high E. coli levels to expedite safe reopenings.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that Vibrio bacteria in coastal waters can trigger severe gastrointestinal and skin infections.
• Chronic contamination hotspots and proposed cuts to federal monitoring grants threaten the long-term effectiveness of water quality testing programs.