Beach Season Starts Today

Believe it or not, despite the chilly temps, beach season officially starts today in Ogden Dunes. Why? Starting May 21 through September 5 lake waters are evaluated daily to determine whether or not it is safe for swimming.

Water quality monitoring in Ogden Dunes is made possible with a $14,000 grant from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. The monies from the grant are used to hire a Grant Administrator, a Sampling Technician, and to contract with a laboratory for testing.

For the second year in a row, Polly Costanza has been hired as our official Sampling Technician. You may see her bravely wading into the lake at 7:00 a.m., Monday through Friday, to grab water samples at three locations along the beach. She then transports the samples to a pre-arranged location in Marquette Park in Gary.

From there, our contracted Laboratory, United Water, picks up the samples for immediate analysis. United Water tests the samples for both turbidity and E. coli. High turbidity is a strong indicator that pathogens are present. Turbidity readings and other factors, such as previous rainfall and wind direction, are then fed into a predictive model, called "Project Safe," that helps determine whether or not an advisory or closure should be posted for that day. This is because results from the E. coli tests are not available until the next day.

Results from these tests are e-mailed to Karen Berrier, Grant Administrator, who is responsible for determining if a beach is open for swimming, if an advisory should be posted, or if a closure is necessary. Information is then posted on http://www.ogdendunes.net/beachconditions.html. If the public needs to be informed that an Advisory or Closure are necessary, Karen is also responsible for posting the appropriate signage along the accessways and near the Town Hall.

Yellow signs will indicate that an Advisory is posted. In this case, an increased risk of illness may be present based on recent monitoring for E. coli bacteria.

For your safety during an Advisory:
• Swim at your own risk.
• Do not ingest lake water.
• Shower after swimming.
• Wash hands before eating.
• Do not swim if you are ill.

Red Signs will tell the public that the beach is closed to swimming, and that a serious risk of illness may be present.

Look for more information on this topic as the summer progresses.