Desired Outcome: Swimmability

SOLEC Assessment

SOLEC's overall subjective assessment of its indicator E.coli and Fecal Coliform in Recreational Waters is "Mixed." This assessment is described in the SOLEC report as, "The state of the ecosystem component has some features that are in good condition and some features that are degraded, perhaps differing between lake basins."¹⁴

Basis for SOLEC Assessment

The Indicators Implementation Task Force and SOLEC proponents concur that this indicator can be based on measurements of E.coli levels in water and on the number of beaches closed.¹⁵ The SOLEC report presented data for 1998 and 1999 beach closings in the U.S. and for 1998 beach closings in Canada. Additional data were presented at the SOLEC 2000 conference on the weekly E.coli readings at numerous Chicago beaches during the summer of 2000 and eastern Toronto beaches during the summer of 1999.

Commission Assessment

The Commission finds that it is not always safe to swim at certain locations in the Great Lakes and there is a limited ability to define progress.

Indicator Challenges

Beaches are sampled by local jurisdictions. The challenge is to ensure uniformity of sampling and reporting methods.

The U.S. beach survey data are compiled in a series for 1981 to 1994, and can be found online at www.epa.gov/glnpo/beach/. Data also are available up to the year 2000, with gaps for 1995 and 1997. Currently, although data for Canadian Great Lakes beach closings exist, they are not centralized nor made available basin-wide, and therefore, do not enable an overall understanding of the status in the Great Lakes. Efforts are now underway to establish a Canadian data compilation system that could be updated directly by local public health officials. To meaningfully use this indicator, the jurisdictions involved need to follow a standard testing protocol and employ a statistically valid sample of beaches so the overall trend for the desired outcome of Swimmability can be assessed.