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.