![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
2008 Swimming Season Update
Illinois
May 2009
- Introduction
- 2008 Summary Results
- For More Information
- PDF Version (2 pp, 444K, About PDF) of this document
- Raw data (XLS) (156K) for Illinois
Introduction
Figure 1. Illinois coastal counties.
The BEACH Act of 2000 requires that coastal and Great Lakes states and territories report to EPA on beach monitoring and notification data for their coastal recreation waters. The BEACH Act defines coastal recreation waters as the Great Lakes and coastal waters (including coastal estuaries) that states, territories, and authorized tribes officially recognize or designate for swimming, bathing, surfing, or similar activities in the water.
This fact sheet summarizes beach monitoring and notification data submitted to EPA by the State of Illinois for the 2008 swimming season.
| County | Total Beaches | Monitored | Not Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook | 49 | 39 | 10 |
| Lake | 19 | 13 | 6 |
| Totals | 68 | 52 | 16 |
2008 Summary Results
How many notification actions were reported and how long were they?
Figure 2: Beach notification actions by duration.
When water quality standards are exceeded at a particular beach, Illinois’ approach is to issue a beach advisory that warns people to avoid contact with the water. A total of 49 monitored beaches had at least one advisory issued during the 2008 swimming season. About 93 percent of Illinois’ 397 notification actions lasted two days or less. Figure 2 presents a full breakdown of notification action durations.
What percentage of days were beaches under a notification action?
Figure 3: Beach days with and without notification actions.
For Illinois’ 2008 swimming season, actions were reported about 11 percent of the time (Figure 3).
How do 2008 results compare to previous years?
Table 2 compares 2008 notification action data with monitored beach data from previous years.
| Year | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of monitored beaches | 67 | 51 | 52 |
| Number of beaches affected by notification actions | 54 | 49 | 49 |
| Percentage of beaches affected by notification actions | 81% | 96% | 94% |
| Percentage of beach days affected by notification actions | 12% | 17% | 11% |
What pollution sources possibly affect investigated monitored beaches?
Possible sources of pollution affecting Illinois’ investigated monitored beaches in 2008 are mostly unidentified (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Percent of investigated monitored beaches affected by possible pollution sources (52 beaches).
For More Information
Illinois's 2007 Beach Season Data | General information about beaches | Beaches in Illinois 
