u.s. department of the interior u.s. geological survey beach health: safe to swim? dr. shannon...
TRANSCRIPT
U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey
Beach Health: Safe to Swim?
Dr. Shannon Briggs
Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality
June 19, 2009
Lake Michigan near Brevort
We enjoy looking at beautiful beaches …
Head over heelsin love with our water!
We just don’t look at it or drink it, we play in it!
Field Gear for Collecting Samples
SAMPLE BOTTLE
IDENTIFIED MONITORING POINTS
SAMPLING POLE
COOLER WITH WHEELS
TRAINED STAFF
WADERS
ICE PACKS GLOVES, etc
Water samples collected, store on ice, < 6 hour holding time
Give lab 2 hours to prepare samples
Recreational Water Illness Salmonella
C. perfringens
C. botulinum
Campylobacter
enterococci
E. coli
Some of the E. coli Methods approved
by the US EPA
Current methods requires incubation time
m-Tec, 24 to 48 hours
IDEXX Colilert, 24 hours
IDEXX Colilert-18, 18 hours
Some of the enterococci Methods approved
by the US EPA
Current methods requires incubation time
USEPA Method 1600 (mEI agar) 24 hours
IDEXX Enterolert, 24 hours
Example of Posted Sign
Monday, June 15, 2009
WATER WAS BAD YESTERDAY
DON’T KNOW ABOUT TODAY
COME BACK TOMORROW
TOMORROW
WATER WAS BAD AGAIN YESTERDAY
WE STILL DON’T KNOW ABOUT TODAY
WE CAN TELL YOU THAT TOMORROW
THE NEXT DAYIF YOU SWAM YESTERDAY,
YOU’RE OKAY, WATER WAS FINE!
TODAY “MIGHT” BE OKAY TOO
BUT - WE WON’T SAMPLE AGAIN UNTIL NEXT THURSDAY
HAVE A NICE DAY
Water Quality Daily Forecasts
Beach Message Signs
Maintained by Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
Courtesy of Calum McPhail, SEPA www.spea.org.uk
Aberdeen beach 3 advisories Excellent, Good, or Poor
Guideline / Mandatory / Fail
Website
Phone line
Phone TEXT
How daily signage is posted
What happens when your beach is closed?
Questions raised due to beach closings:
Why?Who’s responsible?
Public Meeting for Sugar Island Beach
When will it re-open?
McDowell contacted Congressman Bart Stupak
“I just couldn’t believe how bad the situation was.”
Congressman Bart Stupak
Senator Levin’s office set up meeting to include Members of the Canadian Embassy, Senator Stabenow’s office,and Congressman Stupak’s office.
Investing in Beaches = Investing in Community
Time Enjoyment
Expertise Confidence
Efforts Beaches Growth
Research Public Health
Funding Revenue
Collaboration Experience
“Therefore, we strongly encourage you to reconsider the formula used to distribute BEACH Act grants to states.”
“Michigan with 3,224 miles of shoreline and 4.8 million people living near the coast gets less money than American Somoa which has 126 miles of shoreline and 57,291 people living near the coast.”
Great Lakes Success Stories
Lake County HD, IL
Cuyahoga County HD, OH
Milwaukee HD, WI
Indiana Dunes Natl LakeshoreGary Sanitation District, IN
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (37 beaches in Duluth)
Chippewa County HD, MI
Presque Isle St Pk, PA
16 State Parks in NY
City of Racine HD, WI
City of Marquette, MI
Opportunities
USEPA invested $522,824 into
Great Lakes Beach Sanitary Surveys
for 61 beaches
Unknown Sources caused beach closures
Before 84% After 24%
Help us find $8,570 for your local beach
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches/sanitarysurvey/
Memorial Day 2008, the GLRC Clean Beaches Initiative… encourages increased use of sanitary survey forms for tracking down sources of pollution causing beach closings and will provide information on other beach monitoring and man management resources through the GLRC Website.
http://www.great-lakes.net/glba/index.html
Your link to 800 beach buddies!
We transfer our expertise and experience in successful collaborations.
Great Lakes Beach Association
Great Lakes Public Beaches
60239
12
483173
79
191
Good News
Approx 80% of sample results meet water quality standards
Goal is to have a beach open 95% of the season
National average = beaches are open 95% of the time
Approx 68% of the beaches can do this
Bad News, er… an opportunity
National average
32% of beaches were closed in 2007
The Public Demands Action!The Public Demands Action!
Highest Priority Issues for Beach Monitoring in Great Lakes
Predictive Modelsmultiple factors, provides answers now,
potential for regional model (unmonitored areas)
Need sufficient monitoring data (4-5 days/wk)Improve access to data (NOAA, etc)
Need equipment (e.g., monitoring buoys)Need training and technical support
Highest Priority Issues for Beach Monitoring in Great Lakes
Affordable Rapid Testsreduce delay, potential for source tracking
Need to invest in technology
Develop new technology
Modify existing technology
…this is who we work for.