Chicago Tribune Story on beaches (there's a bit of frustrationconveyed!)

["Shannon Briggs" <BRIGGSSL@michigan.gov>]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-0308300040aug30,1,5538192.story

A summer of swimming bans
August 30, 2003

It's been another frustrating summer for Lake Michigan swimmers, or
even those who simply want to dip their toes in the water. Some beaches
from the Wisconsin border to Indiana and Michigan have posted dozens of
swimming bans. At Chicago beaches alone, there have been 130 bans so far
this summer; that's compared to 107 last summer. In Lake County, the
tally has been about the same.

When frustrated would-be swimmers demand to know why levels of the
bacteria E. coli are so high that swimming is banned, they're likely to
get an array of explanations:

Blame it on sewage dumping--from accidents, heavy rainfall locally, or
even from Milwaukee. Or point the finger at the seagulls and other
animals, for doing what they do on the beach and in the water. (Also
implicated: People who leave trash on the beach, thus attracting some of
those animals.) Then there's wind and water currents to consider, and
even, possibly, the presence of lots of swimmers.

Another school of thought suggests some of the increased bans can be
attributed to better technology: Officials are using more sensitive
tests, and are testing the beaches far more often than previously done.

If it sounds confusing, that's because it is confusing. Strange as it
may seem, after so many years of studying the lake, many of its secrets
remain unfathomable.

Take E. coli levels. Since 1999, Chicago and others have been testing
for E. coli. But remember, high E. coli levels are not necessarily
dangerous to people. In fact, most E. coli does not cause human
illness.

Since the current tests don't distinguish between the harmless and the
harmful E. coli, why test for it? One good reason: Because those levels
could indicate sewage or other contamination, scientists say. And high
levels of E. coli also mean other disease-causing bacteria are likely to
be abundant.

But there's a controversial theory, advanced by U.S. Geological Survey
scientist Richard Whitman, among others, that for reasons not well
understood there are naturally occurring high levels of E. coli on some
beaches, so ubiquitous and persistent that it may be difficult if not
futile to find out where it's coming from, or to reduce it significantly
and consistently. E. coli may even grow in sand and sediment under
certain conditions, according to Whitman.

It's also true that more testing--every weekday in Chicago--is likely
to bring more swim bans. But does that necessarily make swimmers safer?
Because the current tests take about a day to yield results, swimmers
presumably could be swimming amid the high bacterial counts on one day,
only to have swimming banned the next day, when the counts may or may
not be so high. Park officials hope a new system being tested this
summer will cut the time lapse to a few hours.

It's hard to fault public officials--who have been marshalling
resources to try to identify the sources of pollution--for their efforts
to fix the problem. Over the past few years, there have been several
studies of local beaches, and more are in the works. They've made
progress, but there's not likely to be a quick, easy solution to the
problem.

One potential key: a proposed five-year, $4 billion federal Great Lakes
Restoration Fund, spearheaded by U.S. Reps. Mark Kirk and Rahm Emanuel.
The fund would target toxic hot spots, combat invasive species, work to
control urban and agricultural runoff, among other things. All of that
is sorely needed. However, it may not dramatically affect swim bans.

Is it financially or technically feasible for Chicagoans to expect a
lake that is swimmable at every beach every day, or even most summer
days? Maybe. No doubt that's a worthy goal. But remember that the bans,
while annoying to swimmers, are important mostly for the potential
warnings they bring about the overall health of this region's most
precious natural resource, the lake.

Copyright © 2003, Chicago Tribune 


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