MILWAUKEE— As Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin recover from the extreme storms and flooding from this weekend, Milwaukee County Park beaches are closed for additional days.
The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District reports that 90-95% of combined sewage overflows had little to no treatment over the past two days.
To prevent further flooding across the area, nearby communities discharged untreated wastewater into local waterways during the storm to prevent widespread basement backups with overflow water not being treated before reaching public waterways.
Based on reports from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences and the potential presence of harmful microorganisms such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium, the City of Milwaukee Health Department is extending the closure of the beaches to protect public health.
These germs in the untreated water can cause illness if the water is swallowed or comes into contact with eyes, nose, or open wounds.
City officials are asking members of the public to avoid swimming in Lake Michigan at this time until the beaches are set to reopen.
Depending on the weather and acceptable water quality test results from the city health department, both Bradford and McKinley beaches could open as soon as Sunday, August 17th.
