DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — At beaches like Sunset Park Beach in Sturgeon Bay, water is tested daily for bacteria. After lab analysis, the results are posted on the DNR’s website to help keep the public informed and safe.
- Students in the program are collecting water samples in Sturgeon Bay
- The lab testing, which is done at Crossroads at BigCreek
- Sunset Beach in Sturgeon Bay is filling up on Monday
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
UW Oshkosh Professor Gregory Kleinheinz is leading a team of students from across the University of Wisconsin System.
“We do this in a preventive way," Gregory Kleinheinz said.
They’re testing water quality at beaches across Door County this summer.
WANT TO KNOW HOW DOOR COUNTY KEEPS ITS BEACHES SAFE ALL SUMMER? WATCH THE FULL STORY BELOW:
The students collect water samples from sites all around the peninsula, from Sturgeon Bay all the way up to Rock Island.
“We actually input all of the data into the DNR website and we change the advisory statuses," Alyssa Arch, a student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison said.
Arch says they began testing water last week, monitoring E. coli levels at 45 beaches.
“So far, it's been really clear and clean. We only had two advisories go up on beaches, but they lasted a day, if that," Arch said.
Advisories are issued when E. coli levels in the water are elevated, and beaches may close if the levels are too high for safe swimming.
E. coli typically enters the water when rain causes runoff from sources like manure or sewage, which can flow into lakes and beaches.
“The more people in the water, the less Lake Michigan can move things along," said Josephine Cersei, a student in the program.
This process has led to beach closures in past years, as recently as last summer.
With summer crowds rolling in, Cersei says closures could become more common as the season reaches its peak.
“The season where we'd probably get the most beach closures is end of July, August, or end of June even," Cersei said.
Water testing will continue through the summer until August 28, with water quality results posted on the DNR’s website under 'Current Beach Status.'
