News article about predictive modeling "Swimcast " (LakeCounty, Illinois)

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

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/lf/07-22-04-343374.html
LAKE FORESTER — July 22, 2004

New equipment to measure beach bacteria 
BY LINDSAY BELLER 
STAFF WRITER 

Lake Michigan swimmers could be splashing in harmful water because technology usually takes up to a full day to measure E. coli bacteria levels. 

But new equipment introduced at Forest Park Beach in Lake Forest will determine in an instant whether bacteria levels are high enough to ban swimming, said Lake County officials Monday. 

The new predictive modeling equipment, called SwimCast, will analyze such beach conditions as water temperature, wind speeds, turbidity and sunlight, said Mark Pfister, an aquatic biologist with the Lake County Health Department. Any combination of these factors could contribute to high bacteria levels, he said. 

The equipment, expected to be fully operational in August, will send the data to a computer that beach operators can check themselves to determine bacterial levels. 

The idea behind the SwimCast was "to find a more accurate and timely way for testing water so the public could be reassured that water was safe for swimming," said State Sen. Susan Garrett, D-29, of Lake Forest. 

These are the only two SwimCasts in Illinois. The other one is at Illinois Beach State Park South Beach. 

Garrett said she would like to introduce this technology at other beaches if she could secure additional funding and cooperation from other legislators. This equipment is funded by a $60,000 grant provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

Lake Forest resident Mary Cameron comes to the beach a few times a week with her young son, Charlie. 

A concern

"That's nice if they can find out more quickly," she said. "Because of my son playing, it's a concern." 

A study released in February found that seagull feces and human waste were the leading causes of high E. coli levels. 

Lake Forest and Highland Park beach operators have undertaken efforts to reduce the amount of garbage and discourage beachgoers from feeding the birds. Forest Park Beach doubled its trash pickup from twice to four times a day over last season, said Beach Supervisor Sally Swarthout. 

Highland Park posted nine signs in April that asked beachgoers not to feed the waterfowl at Rosewood and Park Avenue beaches, said Ben Baron, facilities supervisor at the Highland Park Park District. 

Swim bans in Lake Forest and Highland Park, which range from 0 to 7 each month from May through August, are on par with last year, said Pfister.

Copyright© 2004, Digital Chicago Inc.



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