New Testing Sites Added as Public Health Beach Monitoring Season Begins

This week, Public Health Madison & Dane County kicked off its beach monitoring efforts in Dane County. In collaboration with UW-Madison Environmental & Occupational Health, the agency added several new sites this summer, including Willows Beach and the Willow Drive Boat Launch (Lot 60) on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.

“With these additional sites, our team will monitor and test the beach conditions at 23 beaches and 4 lake access points in Dane County from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Our goal is to make sure the water quality is safe, and the community is aware of the conditions while enjoying our beautiful lakes this summer,” said Jennifer Lavender Braun, Microbiologist for Public Health Madison & Dane County.

Every week during the summer, Public Health lab staff sample nearly two dozen Dane County beaches for the presence of E. coli bacteria in the water. We also monitor blue-green algae blooms because they can be toxic to people and animals. If a bloom is present, staff will collect a sample and test for toxin levels back in the laboratory.

“We focus on E. coli because it’s the best indicator if there are germs in the water that can make you sick. We collect water for testing at least once a week at each beach we monitor. If bacteria levels are high, we’ll close the beach and test the water again each weekday until they return to safe levels,” said Lavender Braun.

It’s easy to stay informed about beach conditions this summer:

• Sign up for email alerts. Subscribe to receive daily email updates about beach conditions.
• Check the website. Staff update the Public Health website when there are any changes in the status of a beach, due to unsafe swimming conditions.
• Look for the signs. Signs are posted at the beach indicating it is closed for swimming.

“Conditions can change quickly, and blue-green algae can grow fast. Even if you don’t see a sign up or the website hasn’t been updated yet, if you notice the water looks like ‘pea soup’, green or blue paint, or has a scum layer on the surface, it could be blue-green algae blooms, so please avoid swimming in that water,” said Lavender Braun.

Report a blue-green algae bloom or illness to the Wisconsin Harmful Algal Blooms Program (WI DHS) or contact Public Health at 608-243-0357 or e-mail lab@publichealthmdc.com.