EPA's  BEACH  Report:
            Indiana 2008 Swimming Season
           May 2009
Introduction
The BEACH Act of 2000 requires that coastal
and Great Lakes states and territories report
to EPA on beach monitoring and notification
data for their coastal recreation waters. The
BEACH Act defines coastal recreation waters as
the Great Lakes and coastal waters (including
coastal estuaries) that states, territories,
and authorized tribes officially recognize or
designate for swimming, bathing, surfing, or
similar activities in the water.

This fact sheet summarizes beach monitoring
and notification data submitted to EPA by
the State of Indiana for the 2008 swimming
season.
Figure 1. Indiana coastal counties.
                                    Table 1. Breakdown of monitored and
                                           unmonitored coastal beaches by
                                           county for 2008.
County
LA PORTE
LAKE
PORTER
TOTALS
Total
Beaches
8
10
3
21
Monitored
8
10
3
21
Not
Monitored
0
0
0
0

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2008 Summary Results
How many beaches had notification actions?
When water quality standards are exceeded at a
particular beach, Indiana's approach is to require
beach managers to post an advisory or closure. An
advisory warns people that there is an increased
health risk associated with entering the water and
a closure warns people to completely avoid contact
with the water. All 21 monitored beaches had at
least one advisory issued during the 2008 swimming
season. About 80 percent of Indiana's notification
actions lasted two days or less. Figure 2 presents a full
breakdown of notification actions.

What percentage of days were beaches under a
notification action?
In 2008, about 15 percent of Indiana's total beach days
were under an advisory or closing (Figure 3).

How do 2008 results compare to previous years?
Table 2 compares 2008 notification action data with
monitored beach data from previous years.

What pollution  sources possibly affect investigated
monitored beaches?
Indiana's beaches were not investigated for possible
pollution sources in 2008.


For More Information
For general information about beaches:
www.epa.gov/beaches/

For information  about beaches in Indiana:
www.in.gov/idem/4151.htm
Figure 2: Beach notification actions by duration.

        125
                 2       3-7     8-30
                Duration of Actions (days)
        >30
Figure 3:  Beach days with
          and without
          notification
          actions.
             Beach days
            with an action:
                328
                (15%)
 Beach days
with no action
   1,825
   (85%)
Table 2. Beach notification actions, 2006-2008.

Number of monitored
beaches
Number of beaches
affected by notification
actions
Percentage of beaches
affected by notification
actions
Percentage of beach
days affected by
notification actions
2006
29
15
52%
3%
2007
28
26
93%
14%
2008
21
21
100%
15%

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