UPDATE 7/26/24 at 12:15PM – All previously closed Milwaukee beaches have re-opened.
McKinley Beach is still under a Beach Advisory; those swimming should take precautions to not ingest lake water and should shower immediately after beach activities.
UPDATE 7/25/24 at 2:45PM – Milwaukee Health Department Public Information Officer Caroline Reinwald has shared the following statement to WTMJ regarding the beach closures:
The closing of Bradford Beach is unusual, as it is rarely, if ever, closed. The City of Milwaukee Health Department Laboratory detected elevated levels of E. coli in both Bradford and South Shore beaches, though pinpointing the exact source is challenging. E.coli can be caused by a number of things, including animal waste from birds or dogs, or any runoff from recent rainfall, although there haven’t been any recent weather events that would increase the potential for surface runoff to enter the lake.
Water quality at South Shore has been a public health focus for quite some time, and there are ongoing efforts to relocate the swimming area slightly south. Due to physical barriers, the current configuration of South Shore Beach does not allow for good natural dispersion of microbes, whether they build up through natural or human processes.
There is signage posted by our partners at Milwaukee County that says “No Swimming.” MHD does not have measures in place to physically prevent people from entering the water.
Results from a new round of water testing will be available on Friday, and any changes to the health and safety postings based on the new data will be released shortly thereafter.
The following information is being left unedited from previous coverage
MILWAUKEE – There will be no swimming allowed at two popular Milwaukee beaches due to elevated bacteria levels in the Lake Michigan water.
Both Bradford and South Shore beaches are listed as closed by the Milwaukee Health Department as of Thursday morning.
McKinley Beach is currently under a beach advisory for elevated bacteria levels, but a “beach closed” sign could be seen up at multiple locations on that beach as well.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, levels higher than recreational water quality standards or guidelines require either a swim advisory or a beach closure, depending on the levels found. Bacteria levels can fluctuate over several hours and since conventional lab analyses take 18-24 hours, results may not be reflective of present bacteria levels.
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