Contamination- Insight into the Effects of Poor Beach Cleanup

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Headlines have filled the newspapers throughout the years in Manitowoc County: “Beaches Closed Due to E. coli Levels,” “Five Beaches Test Unsafe for E. coli Bacteria,” and “Eight County Beaches Closed Due to Bacteria Tests.” All of these headlines came from the same year! It’s quite dreadful to watch the five o’clock news and see beaches closed and water contaminated. Lake Michigan is one of the main sources of water, beauty, and tourism to a lakeshore cities and counties like Manitowoc. Having bad water and beaches affects many aspects of life around the county. Wisconsin DNR should change how they clean up Lake Michigan beaches and water, not just in Manitowoc County, because the well-being of the people, the land, and the appeal of Wisconsin are at risk.

The fact that Lake Michigan and its Wisconsin beaches is not a fallacy, every year the same unfortunate thing happens. Beaches get closed down one after another. In this past “summer” season, this occurred multiple times all over the state. The number of closures from the month of May 1st to October 1st was 123 beaches. The number of warnings due to E. coli levels amounted to 281 (“Wisconsin Beach Health”). The total number of closures just in Manitowoc County was thirty-six. That is about 30% of the closures statewide. The number of warnings was forty-two, about 15% of the warnings statewide. It is quite obvious that out of seventy two counties in Wisconsin, eleven of which are lakeside counties, Manitowoc is by far the one with the most beach closures. This is quite a downfall considering tourism is one of Manitowoc’s most profitable incomes. Another downfall of Lake Michigan and the beaches is the blue-green algae issue. As stated on the Wisconsin DNR website, “In Wisconsin...

... middle of paper ...

...s up to the government and the DNR. The facts prove that Michigan took advantage of all government grants and funding available to them. It obviously worked as their crystal clear water proves. Wisconsin could mirror that exactly and maybe the water could become less murky and brown, something most people would agree is not a bad idea.

Works Cited

"Beach Advisory Report."Wisconsin Beach Health. Wisconsin Department of Natural Rescources, 01/10/2011. Web. 15 Nov 2011.

"Blue-Green Algae In Wisconsin Waters." Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Wisconsin Department of Natural Rescources, n.d. Web. 15 Nov 2011.

"Great Lakes Protection and Restoration." Department of Environmental Quality. State of Michigan, n.d. Web. 15 Nov 2011.

Smarr, Matt. "Coastal Management Program." Department of Environmental Quality. State of Michigan, n.d. Web. 15 Nov 2011.

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