U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

Beach Science for the New Millennium

Richard WhitmanU.S. Geological SurveyGreat Lakes Science Center Porter, Indiana

USGS Partners

§ Cities (Gary, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Chicago, Los Angeles, Sturgeon Bay)

§ Counties

§ States (MI, WI, NY, CA, FL, OH)

§ Federal & International Agencies (EPA, NOAA, NPS, US ACOE, USDA, CDC, IJC, WHO, Environment Canada, Health Canada)

Federal Collaboration onBeach Health in the Great Lakes

Remediation, Decision Support,& Environmental Research

Recreational Water Quality Research

Operational Forecasting& Research

BEACH HEALTH INTERAGENCYCOORDINATION TEAM

Beach Water QualityForecastingCoordinator

USGS Discovers FIB in Sand

Winter sampling

Fall Sampling

Working with States and Universities to Develop New Methods

Beach sand and water E. coliare related

Summer Sampling

2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00

Log mean E. coliin foreshore sands(cfu/100ml)

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

Lo

g m

ea

n E

. c

oli

in 4

5 c

m w

ate

r am

(cfu

/10

0m

l)

R-Square = 0.43

2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00

Log mean E. coliin foreshore sands(cfu/100ml)

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

Lo

g m

ea

n E

. c

oli

in 4

5 c

m w

ate

r am

(cfu

/10

0m

l)

Lo

g m

ea

n E

. c

oli

in 4

5 c

m w

ate

r am

(cfu

/10

0m

l)

R-Square = 0.43

USGS Finds that the Nuisance Algae, Cladophora, Harbors E. coli and Pathogens

C. botulinum Salmonella

C. perfringens Campylobacter

USGS Linking Stream Water Quality to Beach Water Quality

Fair Haven Beach State Park, New York

Dunes Creek at Indiana Dunes State Park beach

Trail Creek and Kintzele Ditch, IN

Burns Ditch, IN

Real-Time Predictive Modeling

Lake Ontario

Fair Haven, NY

Huntington, Bay Village, OH Michigan

Lake St. Clair

Lake Erie

Real-Time Predictive Modeling Cont.

Northwest, IN Chicago, IL

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan

Door County, WI

Lake

Mic

higa

n

Gre

en B

ay

Regional Modeling•23 Chicago beaches•24 Door County beaches•10 Indiana beaches

USGS Studies Rapid Methods, Pathogens, and Waste Indicators in Indiana and Ohio

Quantitative PCR (DNA)ATP

IndicatorsRapid methods

SalmonellaShigella

E. coli (0157)

Future needs

§ Scientifically and risk based criteria

§ Pathogen occurrence and health implications

§ Role of the environment

§ Better, faster methods

§ Accurate predictions and forecasts

§ Improved communication and education