Source Information
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) implements the Lake Michigan Beach Monitoring and Notification Program in partnership with beach managers and their staff who collect and test water samples from Lake Michigan beaches. Health departments in Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties test Indiana beaches from May to September. Some beaches are tested daily, some several times a week, and some are tested weekly. When the information is posted to Indiana's BeachGuard webpage, Swim Drink Fish updates Swim Guide.
Indiana beaches are posted when a single sample exceeds 235 E. coli / 100 ml.
In the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency has two sets of recommendations for freshwater and marine beaches. A single sample at a freshwater beach should not exceed 235 E. coli / 100 ml of water. A single sample at a marine beach should not exceed 104 Enterococci / 100 ml of water. The geometric mean of 5 samples from a freshwater beach should not exceed 126 E. coli / 100 ml of water. The geometric mean of 5 samples from a marine beach should not exceed 35 Enterococci / 100 ml of water. States may choose to use this standard or they may substitute a standard that is "as protective as" the EPA's recommendation. The Beach Act is the nation's primary beach protection law.
