New Video Helps Explain Beach Water Quality Monitoring

The Ogden Dunes Environmental Advisory Board, with the assistance of Best Light Productions and a small grant from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, recently produced a short video that helps educate residents about how water quality at the beach is monitored. The video premiered at the monthly Town Council meeting on July 6.

To view the approximately 13-minute video, click on the link on http://www.ogdendunes.net/ that says "How do we know if it's safe to swim?" or visit http://www.bestlightproductions.com/od_environ_video.htm.

A number of Ogden Dunes residents were involved in the production of the video, including Susan MiHalo, Dan Manas, Joyce Webber, John Muller, Karen Berrier, Polly Costanza, Cheryl and Ken Engel, and Nick Kniola. Former resident Meredith Nevers (Nancy and Tom Becker's daughter), who works for the US Geological Survey as an Aquatic Ecologist; and Bob Theodorou, who is the Lab Manager for United Water Co. and runs the E. coli tests, also appear in the video.

The video is designed to take viewers step-by-step through the monitoring process so that residents can be assured that their health is being protected from pathogens that can cause waterborne illnesses. The Ogden Dunes beach can sometimes be adversely affected by Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO's) that travel down the approximately 331-square miles of watershed that feed into the Burns Waterway.