Search

Recreational Water and Campgrounds

Bathing Beach Monitoring Program

Environmental Health has updated daily hours. Open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Closed 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.)

Subscribe to the RSS feed Kalamazoo County Beach Advisories

No Total Body Contact: refrain from activities involving complete submergence, particularly immersion of the head, into surface water that would involve risk of ingesting water.

No Partial Body Contact: refrain from activities involving direct contact to surface water including swimming, wading and fishing.


Environmental Health monitors nine Kalamazoo County bathing beaches for E. coli bacteria. Current bacteriological results and information about statewide beach monitoring can be found at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy beach monitoring website.

Bathing beaches are monitored:

  1. To assure a safe and healthy recreational experience at Kalamazoo County public bathing beaches.
  2. To determine compliance to Michigan's Water Quality Standards for total body contact recreation.
  3. To protect public exposure to surface water that does not meet Michigan's Water Quality Standards.

The following bathing beaches are monitored once each week (typically between Memorial Day and Labor Day):

Understanding Bathing Beach Results

The results of bathing beaches are indicative to that specific area, not the lake as a whole. Several factors can influence bacteria counts such as land use and land development, weather conditions, wind direction, air and water temperatures, season, stormwater inputs (runoff), wildlife concentrations, and the number and frequency of bathers. The presence of E. coli bacteria suggests that other harmful, disease-causing pathogens may also be present.

E. coli standards for swimming are provided in the Michigan Public Health Code and Rule 323.1062(1) of the Part 4 Water Quality Standards (as promulgated pursuant to Part 31 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, as amended). Water results are verified to determine compliance to the rule, which states the following:

  • All waters of the state protected for total body contact recreation shall not contain more than 130 Escherichia coli (E. coli) per 100 milliliters (ml), as a 30-day geometric mean. Compliance shall be based on the geometric mean of all individual samples taken during five or more sampling events representatively spread over a 30-day period. Each sampling event shall consist of three or more samples taken at representative locations within a defined sampling area. 
  • At no time shall the water of the state protected for total body contact recreation contain more than a maximum of 300 E. coli per 100 ml. Compliance shall be based on the geometric mean of three or more samples taken during the same sampling event at representative locations within a defined sampling area. 
    • No Total Body Contact: refraining from activities involving complete submergence, particularly immersion of the head, into surface water that would involve risk of ingesting water
  • At no time shall the water of the state protected for partial body contact recreation contain more than a maximum of 1000 E. coli per 100 ml. Compliance shall be based on the geometric mean of three or more samples taken during the same sampling event at representative locations within a defined sampling area. 
    • No Partial Body Contact: refraining from activities involving direct contact to surface water including swimming, wading and fishing.

Public Health Advisories

A public health advisory is issued when the monitoring conducted by Environmental Health determines that bacteria levels exceed the limits set by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. If either the single-day (one event) or thirty-day geometric mean (at least five events) bacteria count exceeds the established limit, a public health advisory for total body contact will be issued. After continued monitoring Environmental Health will lift the public health advisory when E. coli bacteria levels meet the Michigan Water Quality Standards.

Surface Water Testing Service

Environmental Health will provide surface water and bathing beach monitoring to interested parties (lake associations, camps, land owners). The Surface Water Sample Request Form can be found on the Licensing and Applications webpage. The service includes:

  • Conducting a sanitary survey, including watershed information, nearby land use, lake inputs and outputs
  • Conducting a field survey during each sampling event
  • Collecting & analyzing three surface water samples for E. coli bacteria
  • Preparing a report to be faxed, mailed, or e-mailed
  • Presenting the information to the interested parties
Refer to Environmental Health fee schedule for current charges of surface water analysis and services.

Healthful Links:

CDC Healthy Swimming - Giardia Fact sheet

CDC Healthy Swimming - Cryptosporidium Fact sheet

CDC Healthy Swimming - Swimmer's Itch Fact Sheet

Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy - Foam

Contact Us

311 E. Alcott St.
Kalamazoo, MI 49001

269-373-5210
269-373-5200 (HCS main line)
E-Mail

Hours

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(Closed 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
Monday thru Friday

       

Programs


Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services is committed to providing equitable, culturally competent care to all individuals served, regardless of race, age, sex, color, national origin, religion, height, weight, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. 

Links to external sites do not constitute endorsements by Kalamazoo County.