Getting started:
It’s important to know the issues on any new beat. Here are some primers to help you become familiar with beach monitoring, contamination and research issues.
Primers to Great Lakes beach and water issues
Great Lakes Beach Association
Find upcoming events, recent and future conferences
Join the BeachNetdiscussion
Look at beach presentations for past conferences
Finding story ideas:
Michigan BeachGuard Database. See related worksheet.
Water Quality and Pollution Control in Michigan Sections 303(d), 305(b), and 314 Integrated Report—Appendix C
Appendix C – Detail – Detailed List of Assessment units not supporting designated uses and are scheduled for a TMDL (Category 5)
Appendix C – Detailed Groups – Detailed and Grouped List of Assessment units not supporting designated uses and are scheduled for a TMDL (Category 5)
Appendix C – Groups – Grouped List of Assessment units not supporting designated uses and are scheduled for a TMDL (Category 5)
Keep up on Great Lakes Restoration Initiative projects—many were assigned to beach health or sanitary survey projects.
Here is the PDF of projects for 2010.
For future searches, go to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Accountability System.
Source list:
From the Great Lakes Beach Association websiteGreat Lakes Beach Conferences:
Conference 2010: Presentation and poster abstracts list (for recent research and speakers)
Conference 2009: List of conference attendees (for speakers)
Christine Daley
Environmental Health Lead Sanitarian
Chippewa County Health Department
(906) 635-3602
cdaley@chippewahd.com
Curt Goodman
Water and Wastewater Superintendent
City of Marquette
906-228-0485 ext. 3
water@mqtcty.org
Julie Kinzelman
Health Department Laboratory Director
City of Racine, Wisc.
Board of Directors
Great Lakes Beach Association
262-636-9501
julie.kinzelman@cityofracine.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Greg Kleinheinz
Industrial and Environmental Microbiology Laboratory Director
University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh
920-424-1100
kleinhei@uwosh.edu
Jill Lis
Watershed Protection Program supervisor
Environmental Health Services
Cuyahoga County Board of Health
216-201-2001 ext. 1240
jlis@ccbh.net
Colleen McDermott
Pre-Veterinary Medicine Advisor/Professor
Department of Biology & Microbiology
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
920-424-7090
mcdermot@uwosh.edu
Sarah U’ren
Program Director
The Watershed Center, Grand Traverse Bay
231-935-1514 ext. 2
suren@gtbay.org
(A proactive group tackling water quality in their region with government, municipality, etc.)
Lyman Welch
Manager, Water Quality Program
Alliance for the Great Lakes
3122-939-0838
lwelch@greatlakes.org
Useful websites:
Great Lakes BeachCast
Information on beach closings, data and maps specific to each Great Lakes state.
Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health
A variety of sites related to beach pollution, human health, beach monitoring organizations and specific information on organizations by state.
Centers for Disease Control – Healthy Swimming
USGS Great Lakes Beach Health Initiative
Beach health data for Ohio and Wisconsin, a “nowcast” of Ohio recreational beach quality, access to experts from Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Science Center.
Beachapedia: State of the Beach reports
Large overview of beach issues, beach indicators, processes, erosion, etc. Can also access state reports for specific issues.
EPA Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Program
Recreation water quality criteria, national reports, national beach conferences, legislation and policy, links to stormwater, drinking, wastewater programs.
Coastal Change Analysis Program Regional Land Cover
The Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) produces a nationally standardized database of land cover and land change information for the coastal regions of the U.S. C-CAP products provide inventories of coastal intertidal areas, wetlands, and adjacent uplands with the goal of monitoring these habitats by updating the land cover maps every five years.
Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System
Wind, waves, surface current and temperatures, temperature profiles, water levels, ice cover, cloud cover real-time data.
Great Lakes Real-Time Water Temperature Mashup
Displays water temperature readings for various points on the Great Lakes.
Lake Superior Shore Viewer
View the shoreline based on county—high quality images.
State specific:
Michigan State University Pathogen Workshop Series
Learn about pathogens in Michigan water and how they grow there.
Michigan Beach Health Resources
Illinois Beach Health Resources
Indiana Beach Health Resources
Minnesota Beach Health Resources
Ohio Beach Health Resources
Wisconsin Beach Health Resources