The county’s efforts to monitor E. coli bacteria levels at its five public beaches received support from the state that could allow for more comprehensive monthly beach checks.

The Washtenaw County Health Department samples water three times per month from public bathing areas at Sugarloaf and Bruin lakes in Lyndon Township, Independence Lake in Webster Township, and Silver and Half Moon lakes in Dexter Township, said Kristen Schweighoefer, an environmental health supervisor for the Health Department.

The roughly $10,000-a-year effort, paid for with Health Department dollars, includes samples being sent to an outside lab to ensure the water is safe for recreational contact.

There have been no beach closures in Washtenaw County this summer, but in 2010, the county closed Sugarloaf Lake beach in Waterloo Recreation Area for one month due to contamination, Schweighoefer said.

The $9,270 two-year grant from the Department of Environmental Quality announced last week will help improve the effort, Schweighoefer said.

County staff would develop an environmental checklist to note and track any recent rains and the weather, the number of bathers and children in diapers in the water, and geese, all factors that can contribute to higher levels of E. coli.

The program will also expand to use the county's existing geographic information system mapping to look for potential sources of contamination.

“We’ll have a more robust system and do some GIS mapping of the beaches to look at an overhead view to look for other sources of contamination at the beach,” Schweighoefer said.

Certain strains of E. coli are harmless, while others can make people sick with intestinal and other illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some E. coli infections can be life-threatening.

The bacteria lives in the intestines of humans and animals and can be spread through the ingestion of tiny amounts of human or animal feces in the water.

For more information on county beaches:

• View annual reports on the state’s beach water quality monitoring here.
• View water sample results for all beaches here.

Juliana Keeping covers general assignment and health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter