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2008 Swimming Season Update
Indiana
May 2009
- Introduction
- 2008 Summary Results
- For More Information
- PDF Version (2 pp, 299K, About PDF) of this document
- Raw data (XLS) (95K) for Indiana
Introduction
Figure 1. Indiana 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 Indiana for the 2008 swimming season.
| County | Total Beaches | Monitored | Not Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Porte | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Lake | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| Porter | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Totals | 21 | 21 | 0 |
2008 Summary Results
How many beaches had notification actions??
Figure 2: Beach notification actions by duration.
When water quality standards are exceeded at a particular beach, Indiana’s approach is to require beach managers to post an advisory or closure. An advisory warns people that there is an increased health risk associated with entering the water and a closure warns people to completely avoid contact with the water. All 21 monitored beaches had at least one advisory issued during the 2008 swimming season. About 80 percent of Indiana’s notification actions lasted two days or less. Figure 2 presents a full breakdown of notification actions.
What percentage of days were beaches under a notification action?
Figure 3: Beach days with and without notification actions.
In 2008, about 15 percent of Indiana’s total beach days were under an advisory or closing (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 | 29 | 28 | 21 |
| Number of beaches affected by notification actions | 15 | 26 | 21 |
| Percentage of beaches affected by notification actions | 52% | 93% | 100% |
| Percentage of beach days affected by notification actions | 3% | 14% | 15% |
What pollution sources possibly affect investigated monitored beaches?
Indiana’s beaches were not investigated for possible pollution sources in 2008.
For More Information
Indiana's 2007 Beach Season Data | General information about beaches | Beaches in Indiana 
