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On the Web Beach closing information for Manitowoc County: www.manitowoccounty.com/recreation/beaches.asp Beach closing information for the state of Wisconsin: www.wibeaches.us Tips for safe swimming: www.cdc.gov/healthyswimming

Local beach test results For Wednesday, Aug. 2 Point Beach State Forest Concession Stand: UNSAFE Point Beach State Forest Lakeshore Picnic: UNSAFE Point Beach State Forest Lighthouse: UNSAFE Neshotah Park: UNSAFE Memorial Drive - North: CAUTION Memorial Drive - South: CAUTION Manitowoc YMCA: UNSAFE Red Arrow Park: UNSAFE Fischer Creek: UNSAFE Hika Park: UNSAFE A "safe" advisory is issued for bacteria levels below 235 CFU (E. coli colony forming units) per 100 milliliters of water. A caution is issued for bacteria levels greater than 235 CFU, but less than 1,000 CFU. An "unsafe" advisory is issued for bacteria levels above 1,000 CFU. E.coli is an indicator of fecal contamination and other bacteria harmful to humans, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. High bacteria levels have been linked to gastrointestinal illness. For beach test results on the Web, go to www.manitowoccounty.com/recreation/beaches.asp Source: Manitowoc County Health Department

Number of closings in state and nation increased in '05

By Kristopher Wenn
Herald Times Reporter

MANITOWOC — Manitowoc County is not alone in its beach problems.

Beach closings and warnings due to bacterial contamination went up in Wisconsin for the fourth straight year in 2005, according to an annual report released Thursday by the League of Conservation Voters and the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group (WISPIRG).

The report, compiled by the National Resources Defense Council, tallied 1,063 beach closing and health advisory days in Wisconsin in 2005, an 8 percent jump from the 984 reported the year before. The number of beach closings and health advisory days at beaches nationwide were the most since the report was first issued 16 years ago.

The report found 200 beaches in two-dozen states where water samples violated federal bacteria level standards at least 25 percent of the time. Twenty-five of those beaches were in Wisconsin, including three in Manitowoc County.

The Manitowoc YMCA beach exceeded safe levels of E. coli bacteria 33 percent of the times it was tested, and two of the three beaches at Point Beach State Forest each exceeded safe E. coli levels 28 percent of the time, the report said.

Jim Blaha, county health department officer, was not surprised by the findings, but noted the county's beaches improved dramatically in 2005 compared to the previous year.

The county had only eight beach closings due to high bacteria levels last summer, compared to 121 in 2004. The total in 2003 was 176.

So far this summer, 44 unsafe beach test results have been recorded.

"This is a bad year," Blaha said. "Last year is looking like an anomaly because of the lack of rainfall …

"This year there are a lot of beach closures because we've had a lot of wild weather – wind, rain, and heavy wave action that has been attributed to high bacteria levels."

Beach tests taken on Monday showed that all 10 Manitowoc County beaches had "unsafe" levels of E. coli bacteria and required closure. Wednesday's test results showed that eight of the 10 beaches tested will remain closed today.

Bruce Speight, field director for WISPIRG, said many of the nation's beach closures are due to outdated sewer systems and storm water runoff infrastructure. His group is lobbying for more federal funding of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which provides grants for municipalities to update sewage systems.

Meanwhile, the NRDC announced on Thursday that it is suing the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to modernize beach water health standards as ordered by Congress six years ago. The NRDC said current beach water quality standards are 20 years old and rely on obsolete monitoring methods and outdated science that leave beachgoers vulnerable to a range of waterborne illnesses.

In 2000, Congress passed the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH Act), which required the EPA to revise the current health standards by October 2005. The EPA missed the deadline and says it will not be able to finish updating health standards until 2011, according to the NRDC.

Kristopher Wenn: 920-686-2132 or kwenn@htrnews.com