Kenyon Pool spent a recent July afternoon at Gary’s Lake Street Beach with his two children, having made the drive from Hammond to enjoy the summer weather.
“It’s a nice day, so I wanted to let them get out and enjoy the water,” he said.
But Pool said he doesn’t know how to check for contamination or high E. coli levels.
“I know to watch for dangerous currents,” he said, glancing around the shoreline. “But how are we supposed to know about bacteria in the water?”
That same week, city officials issued a contamination advisory for the beach, part of a recent spike in E. coli levels along Lake Michigan shorelines in Northwest Indiana and nearby Chicago.
With summer crowds flocking to Gary’s beach, city officials have detected higher levels of E. coli in the water. While the findings raised some concern among residents, local experts say there’s no serious risk to the public.
E. coli, a type of fecal coliform bacteria, can cause infections in the gut, urinary tract, and other parts of your body. While it can live without causing health concerns, some strains can cause symptoms like watery diarrhea, vomiting and a fever when exposed.
The Gary Sanitary District produces a daily beach water quality report showing test results for E. coli at three beaches throughout Gary: Lake Street, Marquette Park, and Wells Street.
Testing is conducted Monday through Friday throughout the swimming season from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Test results are released the next day.
While a small amount of E. coli is normal for natural bodies of water, the E. coli water quality standard is 235 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters of water, an indicator for potential contamination. When levels are found above that threshold, that beach location is put on an advisory, while residents are recommended to stay out of the water.
Elevated E. coli levels are occasionally found at beaches along Lake Michigan’s shoreline, particularly in Northwest Indiana and the Chicago area. Just this week, Ogden Dunes’ West Beach in Porter County, Washington Park Beach in Michigan City, and Jeorse Park Beach in East Chicago — along with Lake Street Beach and Marquette Park in Gary — all recorded elevated bacteria levels, according to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
“There are certain factors that affect the increase of E. coli present in the water, and it has to do with weather conditions and also the condition of the beach,” said Bob Theodorou, lab manager at Gary Sanitary District, adding that pollution and trash on the beach can lead to E. coli presence from fecal matter. “So it’s simple — you have to be diligent to maintain the beaches clean in order to avoid instances like that.”
Recently, high levels of E. coli above the threshold have been found on Gary’s Marquette Park and Lake Street beaches, with the latest report issued on July 30, which advises against swimming in two out of three locations due to E. coli. Theodorou posits that it is due to increased activity of beachgoers spurred by warmer temperatures.
“Compared to other years, it’s expected to happen a few times throughout the sample collection, but this year we saw some high temperatures continuously,” said Theodorou. “I believe that some E. coli numbers elevated over and above 235 was due to the fact that more people went to the beach, compared to other years where it was mostly related to weather changes.”
Fortunately, high levels of E. coli tend to decrease by the next day naturally, Theodorou said.
“The general approach is, if there is agitation in the water, it is likely that there is going to be E. coli in it,” he said. “Now, granted, this does not last long. Within 24 hours, the water goes back to a clean state.”
To stay informed before visiting the beach, residents can view up-to-date E. coli advisories at IDEM’s BeachAlert site: https://portal.idem.in.gov/BeachAlert/