News Topic: Beaches

News Topic(s): What's New  Recreation  News!  Great Lakes  Beaches  

08/26/2010 - An annual report on the quality and cleanliness of the nation's beaches puts Minnesota at the top of the list among the eight Great Lakes states.  Only 5% of samples at our Lake Superior beaches exceeded federal health standards.

Minnesota ranked 12th among states overall, while Illinois, the lowest of the Great Lakes states, ranked 28th nationally.

News Topic(s): What's New  Pollution  Health  Beaches  

07/30/2010 -

The beach at Diamond Point Park in Bemidji was closed Thursday after the Minnesota Department of Health linked three E. coli illness cases to the beach.

The beach remained closed Friday as a precaution as health officials tested water samples.

Three people became ill July 12 and July 13 from E. coli, and health officials have now determined that the common link was that all three had visited the beach sometime from July 8-11, said health department spokesman Doug Schultz.

News Topic(s): What's New  Water  Beaches  

07/28/2010 - The Natural Resources Defense Council has issued its annual beach water quality report.  According to the report, Minnesota, New Hampshire and California have some of the cleanest beaches around, in terms of water quality and state monitoring programs, while some parts of Florida, Maine and Mississippi have among the worst.

News Topic(s): What's New  Water  Beaches  

07/22/2010 - The beach at Lake Hiawatha is closed temporarily until at least Wednesday, July 28. Recent sampling at Hiawatha beach has found that bacteria (E. coli) exceed the EPA specified guidelines and may indicate that pathogens are present in the water at unsafe levels.

News Topic(s): What's New  Water  Staff Picks  Pollution  News!  Marie  Beaches  

07/13/2010 - Last time I did a staff pick, I blogged about my favorite Minnesota lake. This time, I would like to share my experience with a less-than-par lake that I visited this past May. It was one of those scorchers in the late spring and I desperately wanted to go swimming. So, my boyfriend and I went online and searched the closest lake: Lake Riley. I figured I’d better check my lake to see if the water was safe for swimming and recreation. I should have known better not to go to Lake Riley, because CheckMyLake.org determined the water as polluted. But I needed to cool down, and I was desperate! Next