^tDsrx %> /• pno^ ERA'S BEACH Report: Illinois 2006 Swimming Season June 2007 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 Illinois for the 2006 swimming season. Figure 1. Illinois coastal counties with 2006 monitored beach data. Table 1. Breakdown of monitored and unmonitored coastal beaches by county. Total Not County Beaches Monitored Monitored COOK 50 50 0 LAKE 17 17 0 TOTALS 67 67 0 Lake Cook ------- 2006 Summary Results How many beaches had notification actions? When monitoring of water at beaches shows that levels of certain bacteria exceed standards, Illinois' beach managers post a beach advisory, warning people of the possible risks of swimming, or formally notify the public that the beach is closed. Of the 67 coastal beaches that were monitored in 2006, 54, or 81 percent, had at least one advisory during the 2006 season (Figure 2). How many notification actions were reported and how long were they? A total of 555 beach notification actions were reported in the 2006 swimming season. Actions were of relatively short duration, however. Figure 3 presents breakdowns of action durations. What percentage of days were beaches under a notification action? For Illinois's 2006 swimming season, EPA determined there were a total of 6,213 beach days associated with the 67 monitored beaches. Actions were reported on 777 of those days or about 13 percent of the time (Figure 4). How do 2006 results compare to previous years? Beginning in 2003, states are required to submit data to EPA under the BEACH Act for beaches which are in coastal and Great Lakes waters. Table 2 compares 2006 data with data reported in previous years. Figure 2: Monitored Beaches with and without notification actions. Monitored beaches with actions Figure 3: Beach notification actions by duration. 600 in 500 c o 400 o < 300 o o 200 z 100 0 549 1 -2 3-7 8-30 >30 Figure 4: Beach days with and without notification actions. Beach days with an action: 777 (13%) Beach days with no action 5,436 (87%) For More Information For general information about beaches: www.epa.gov/beaches/ For information about beaches in Illinois: www.earth911 .org/waterquality/ default.asp?cluster=17 Table 2. Beach notification actions, 2004-2006. 2004 2005 2006 Number of monitored beaches 53 73 67 Number of beaches affected by notification actions 46 49 54 Percentage of beaches affected by notification actions 87% 67% 81% ------- |