In addition to their amazing ecological value, the Great Lakes’ beaches are ideal destinations for fun, relaxing trips with family or friends.
Yet all too often, pollution such as sewage overflows can pose risks for swimmers at Great Lakes beaches. According to Environment America’s latest Safe for Swimming? report, tests showed that the water at 71% of Great Lakes beaches was so full of fecal bacteria, on at least one day in 2024, that it put swimmers at risk of getting sick.
Not surprisingly, swimming in contaminated Great Lakes beach waters can cause gastrointestinal illness, respiratory disease, ear and eye infection and skin rashes. Swimmers suffer an estimated 57 million cases of illness from contaminated U.S. waters each year.
Have no fear: With a few precautions in place, it’s entirely possible to enjoy clean water at Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario this summer.
Here are several things to think about as you determine if the Great Lakes beach you’re planning to visit is likely to be safe for swimming:
1. Does your favorite Great Lakes beach have a history of pollution?
States vary in how frequently and widely they test their beaches. As a point of reference, it helps to know how often your favorite beach had health risks last year due to contaminated waters.
Environment America’s Safe for Swimming? dashboard includes 2024 beach testing data from all the Great Lakes states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Just scroll down to the state dashboard, and select the state where your beach is located.
The dashboard helps to inform beachgoers by highlighting particular beaches or regions of concern. For example, 100% of Illinois’ tested beaches along Lake Michigan were potentially unsafe for swimming on at least one day in 2024. Hundreds of miles to the east, Buffalo’s Woodlawn Beach State Park had the largest number (37) of potentially unsafe testing days of all coastal beaches tested in New York state in 2024. At the time of writing, this beach is closed due to water quality results.
Just because your favorite or local beach had nasty bacteria in 2024, that doesn’t mean it isn’t safe to swim today, or won’t be next weekend or next week. But to be safe, follow the recommendations below.
2. Check for Great Lakes beach closures and the most recent health advisories.
Whether you’ve planned to catch the sunset at Lake Michigan’s Grand Haven City Beach or at Pennsylvania’s Presque Isle State Park by Lake Erie, arriving at your favorite watering hole or spot on the shore only to find out it’s closed due to unsafe water conditions is a real bummer. Even if the beach isn’t closed, there might be an advisory indicating significant health risks from swimming in the water.
We’ve created this simple tool to find where you can find the latest information on beach closures and advisories in any given state.
If you can’t find information about your beach online, phone the local health department.
3. After a heavy storm, avoid swimming at the beach for 72 hours.
Heavy rainfall can cause sewers to overflow and pollute waters with runoff. Based on studies correlating that with illnesses, some public health officials suggest waiting three days after a heavy downpour to allow time for contaminants to disperse and dilute..
Storms also increase the risk of contaminated agricultural runoff entering waterways. Runoff from farmland and animal factory farms poses a common problem in the Great Lakes region.
4. Avoid toxic algae, especially in Lake Erie
Even when there is no fecal bacteria risk, avoid any contact with toxic algae, which pose serious health risks to people and even pets. Toxic algae blooms happen when excess phosphorus — from manure from factory farms, sewage, or industrial sources – pollutes the water. You can find the most recent information on the presence of toxic algae in western Lake Erie at this website.
5. Protect yourself against infections
Avoid swimming when you have an open cut or wound because the water could infect it. Even if you don’t have a condition that makes you susceptible to infection, you should always rinse or wash yourself off with fresh water after swimming. If your ability to fight germs is already impacted by existing health issues or medications, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that you check with your healthcare provider before taking a dip.
6. See if there are major pollution sources upstream from your beach
If your beach is downstream from outfall pipes for sewage or stormwater, or manure stored or applied to farmland, there could be an increased risk of pathogens flowing into the water there.
7. Use your instincts
While you won’t be able to see individual bacteria, the cloudier and dirtier the water, the more risky it is. In general, it’s best to steer clear of discolored, cloudy or foul-smelling water. And be sure to heed any warnings or beach closures posted at the beach itself, which may indicate unsafe conditions due to bacteria, rip currents or other hazards.
Want to take a deeper dive on beach bacteria and how we can prevent it? Check out our Safe for Swimming? report.
Tell Congress: Keep our beaches safe for swimming
Clean water
Tell Congress: Keep our beaches safe for swimming
We need Congress to renew the bipartisan BEACH Act to keep swimmers safe from pollution.
Authors
John directs Environment America’s efforts to protect our rivers, lakes, streams and drinking water. John’s areas of expertise include lead and other toxic threats to drinking water, factory farms and agribusiness pollution, algal blooms, fracking and the federal Clean Water Act. He previously worked as a staff attorney for Alternatives for Community & Environment and Tobacco Control Resource Center. John lives in Brookline, Mass., with his family, where he enjoys cooking, running, playing tennis, chess and building sandcastles on the beach.
