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General Resources
BEACH Watch Program
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The BEACH Program oversees implementation of the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act of 2000, which awards grants to states for improving the quality of coastal recreation waters.
Blue Wave Campaign
Clean Beaches Council
Provides an annual list of beaches which have been certified as clean and healthy for the start of the upcoming summer beach season. The beaches on this year’s list have met a new, stricter 56-point set of pilot criteria for cleanliness and environmental health, including tough standards for litter.
Citizen's Center for Beach Health
Alliance for the Great Lakes
Offers help to citizens and civic groups to understand why beaches close and what people can do to keep them healthy.
EPA Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
GLNPO primarily focuses on monitoring lake ecosystem indicators; helping communities address contaminated sediments; promoting pollution prevention through projects such as the Canada-U.S. Binational Toxics Strategy; and providing assistance for Lakewide Management Plans and community-based Remedial Action Plans for Areas of Concern.
The Interim Swimmability Index
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The purpose of the swimmability index is to assess E. coli and fecal coliform contaminant levels in nearshore recreational waters, and to infer potential harm to human health through body contact with nearshore recreational waters. This indicator supports Annexes 1, 2 and 13 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
U.S.-wide Beach Water Quality Monitoring System
Earth 911
This partnership effort between Earth 911, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and participating states and communities displays recent water quality conditions at your local beaches. The site also offers community-specific actions to help keep local beaches and coastal waters clean and safe.
Visualizing the Great Lakes
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO)
A slide collection featuring beaches from around the Great Lakes.
Monitoring
Coastal Cleanup / Beach Sweep
Alliance for the Great Lakes
Find out how to Adopt-a-Beach and see highlights from annual cleanups in Wisconsin, Ilinois, Indiana and Michigan.
Summary of Great Lakes Beach Closings 1981-1994
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO)
The Beach Closing Summary presents the findings of 14 years of annual surveys of Great Lakes bathing beaches.
Testing the Waters Annual Survey
Natural Resources Defense Council
Full text and tables of NRDC's annual survey of water-quality monitoring and public notification programs at U.S. beaches.
Communications
beachnet
Browse the beachnet archives
Seeks to facilitate communication and networking between people interested in the improvement of recreational beach water quality in the Great Lakes basin. The e-mail list is coordinated by the Great Lakes Beaches Association. Both the Association and listserv membership are open to the public.
Great Lakes Information Network
Last updated: July 12, 2006
Maintained by: Christine Manninen, manninen@glc.org
© 1993-2006
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