From Lake Michigan Shore:

Water quality data collected by Chicago-area volunteers is being used to help Illinois shape the state’s water quality guidelines in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“Our Adopt-a-Beach program has been working with volunteers in Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois and we’ve been closely engaged with partners at the EPA and trying to share our volunteers’ data more broadly,” says Lyman Welch, water quality program manager for the Alliance for the Great Lakes in Chicago. “It’s been an intentional process to share our data with state and federal regulators.” Read more.