&EFA
    United States
    Environmental Protection
    Agency
               EPA's  BEACH  Report:
              Minnesota  2012  Swimming  Season
              September 2013
                       EPA820-F-13-053
  Introduction
  The Beaches Environmental Assessment and
  Coastal Health (BEACH) Act of 2000 authorizes
  EPA to provide grants to coastal and Great Lakes
  states, territories, and eligible tribes to monitor
  their coastal beaches for bacteria that indicate the
  possible presence of disease-causing pathogens
  and to notify the public when there is a potential
  risk to public health. The BEACH Act requires that
  recipients of those grants report their coastal beach
  monitoring and notification data to EPA. This fact
  sheet highlights the data submitted to EPA by the
  State of Minnesota for the 2012 swimming season.


  2012 Swimming Season
  Monitoring and Notification
  Actions
  Minnesota monitored 42 coastal beaches in three
  counties during the 2012 swimming season
  (Figurel and Table 1). When monitoring results
  at swimming beaches show that levels of specific
  indicator bacteria in the water exceed applicable
  water quality standards, Minnesota officials issue a
  beach advisory, warning people of possible risks of
  swimming.

  How many beaches had notification actions?
  In 2012, of the 42 coastal beaches that Minnesota
  monitored,  26 (62 percent) had at least one
  notification action (Figure 2). This increase,
  compared to previous years, is due in part to a
  June 20 flood event that affected a large portion
  of the Lake Superior shoreline. The Minnesota
  Department of Health has identified Lake Superior
  beaches near Duluth as an area of concern due to
  increased runoff and sources of bacteria.
 Figure 1. Minnesota coastal counties
Table 1.  Number of monitored and
        unmonitored coastal beaches by
        county for 2012

County
COOK
LAKE
ST. LOUIS
TOTALS
Total
Beaches
25
23
34
82

Monitored
14
11
17
42
Not
Monitored
11
12
17
40

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   Figure 2: Percent of beaches with one or
            more notification actions
                        Figure 4: Percent of beach days open
                                  and safe for swimming
   Figure 3: Duration of beach notification
            actions in 2012
        8-30 days
          28%
Over 30 days
    5%
   3-7 days
     23%
How many notification actions were issued and
how long did they last?
Minnesota issued 57 notification actions during the
2012 swimming season. Typically Minnesota lifts
an action when follow-up monitoring indicates that
water quality complies with applicable standards.
For the majority of actions (67percent) water quality
returned to normal and beaches were deemed safe
for swimming within a week or less. (Figure 3).

What percentage of days were beaches under
a notification action?
EPA calculates the total available beach days and
the number of beach days with notification actions
to better track trends over time. Total available
beach days are determined by multiplying the

                                                        2012

                                                        2011

                                                        2010

                                                        2009

                                                        2008
                                   li To the Beach V
                                   • To the Beach)

92.4%

96.2%

98.9%

97.8%

95.5%
                      length of the beach season by the number of
                      beaches in the state. For 2012 EPA calculated
                      that 5,162 beach days were associated with the
                      swimming seasons of the 42 monitored Minnesota
                      beaches. Minnesota reported notification actions
                      on 394 days, meaning that beaches were open and
                      safe for swimming about 92 percent of the time.
                      This lower percentage is due in part to the June 20
                      flood event that affected a large portion of the Lake
                      Superior shoreline (Figure 4).


                      For More Information
                      For information about the Minnesota beach
                      program contact:
                      Cynthia Hakala
                      Minnesota Department of Health
                      Tel: 218-302-6150
                      e-mail:  cynthia.hakala@state.mn.us
                      For general information about beaches visit:
                      http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/beaches/.
                      For information about a specific beach visit:
                      http://watersgeo.epa.gov/beacon2/.

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