With the water sports season in full swing, a coalition of Indiana officials and community groups is hosting a Water Safety Day to raise awareness of safe boating and swimming practices. Hoosiers are invited to the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Michigan City on June 6 from 10 am to 2 pm.
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Water Safety Day promotes easy boating, swimming practices
June 2nd, 2015 by iisg_superadminNearshore buoy coming to Illinois summer 2015
December 2nd, 2014 by iisg_superadminA new environmental sensing buoy will be placed north of Chicago this summer, making it easier than ever for Illinois boaters and beach-goers to spend a fun, safe day on the water.
Like its counterpart in Michigan City, IN, the nearshore buoy will relay information on wave height and direction, wind speed, and air and surface water temperatures in near real time. A webcam will also make it possible to watch changing lake conditions first-hand.
Cooler summer temps led to fewer swimming fatalities
November 11th, 2014 by iisg_superadminIf you’re a regular visitor to Great Lakes beaches, you likely noticed that this year’s swim season was chillier than normal. Cold enough, in fact, that many chose to skip swimming in favor of other beach activities. And according to officials at the National Weather Service, this may explain the unusually low number of current-related fatalities and rescues this year.
There were 6 fatalities and 12 rescues related to currents on the Great Lakes, which is below the 12-year average of 12 fatalities and 25 rescues per year.
As is typical, the majority of the 2014 incidents occurred along Lake Michigan. On average from 2002-2014, Lake Michigan had 25 incidents per year, while Lake Erie had 5 incidents per year, Lake Superior had 3 incidents and Huron and Ontario average 1 to 1.5 per year, respectively.
The data for 2014 has now been updated in the Great Lakes Current Incident Database, available at DangerousCurrents.org. The database was developed and is maintained by Michigan Sea Grant and National Weather Service (NWS). Megan Dodson, a NWS meteorologist, gathers the statistics for the database and provides yearly swim season assessments of conditions related to currents.
Dodson noted the cool weather influenced not just the below-average number of incidents, but where they happened too.
“A majority of the current-related incidents in 2014 occurred near river mouths, which is unusual when compared with past years,” she said. “The cooler air and water temperatures may have driven beachgoers to swim near river mouths and other outlets, where the water is much warmer. However, there are currents present that can be strong and vary depending on the flow of the outlet and the waves at the beach. While these currents are most dangerous during times of high waves, they can still be strong despite calmer lake conditions — as we saw during the 2014 swim season.” Read more
Swim season may be over, but it is never too early to start planning for next year. To stay safe in the water, be sure to:
- Steer clear of the pier — Nearly 60 percent of fatalities and rescues in the Great Lakes database occurred near breakwaters and piers. Structural currents are nearly always present near these barriers, even when waves are low. Breaking waves can also bounce off the structure, making swimming nearly impossible.
- Stay dry when waves are high — Nearly 85 percent of fatalities and rescues in the Great Lakes database happened when waves are 3-5 feet or greater. Unlike in the oceans, Great Lakes waves crash against the shoreline in rapid succession, making it difficult to swim. Additionally, strong rip currents are more likely when waves are above 3 feet. The combination of quickly approaching waves and strong currents create extremely dangerous conditions for swimmers.
- Don’t swim in the outlet — Water flowing from a river mouth or other outlet can push swimmers out into the lake. Nearly 40 percent of the 2014 incidents were outlet-current related.
For more information and safety tips, visit dangerouscurrents.org.
Make water safety part of your fun at the beach
July 3rd, 2014 by iisg_superadmin

In the news: Finding a better way to get rid of unwanted algae
August 6th, 2013 by Irene MilesEach year, Great Lakes beach managers have to remove trucks full of slimy algae from the beachfront areas to keep them enjoyable for residents and visitors. But it can be a costly process and a regular need that could be met in a more environmentally friendly way.
From The Great Lakes Echo:
“Truckloads of the stuff are hauled to landfills every week or so, but beach managers want a greener and cheaper method of disposal.‘Algae removal is sort of a routine beach-grooming thing that we do, but because it’s wet and heavy, it can be expensive to dispose of,’ said Cathy Breitenbach, director of Green Initiatives for the Chicago Park District, which is responsible for 26 miles of lakefront in the city. She’s hoping to find an alternative that saves taxpayers money and is more sustainable than taking it to the dump like the district does now.Composting may seem like an obvious solution, but it’s not as simple as it sounds, say algae experts. Cladophora mats can harbor large concentrations of bacteria, including some potentially dangerous varieties.‘We have evidence to show that E. coli bacteria are found in very high densities in Cladophora mats,’ said Murulee Byappanahalli, a research microbiologist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station in Porter, Ind.”
In the news: Illinois beach water showing signs of improvement
July 1st, 2013 by Irene MilesIllinois’ beach fronts got a bit of good news last week as a recent report pointed to improving water conditions and reduced contamination.
From The Chicago Tribune:
“The report compiles data on E. coli levels collected by local agencies and submitted to the U.S. EPA. E.coli, which can cause serious illnesses and infection, can be a predictor of other contaminants in the water, said Henry Henderson, Midwest director for NRDC.
Chicago’s Montrose Dog Beach and Rainbow Beach were the most contaminated beaches along Illinois’ Lake Michigan shoreline, according to the report. A variety of factors can change how a particular beach might test on any given day.
The study also found that Illinois’ 65 Lake Michigan beaches saw a combined 334 closings and swimming advisory days last year, a decrease from 483 combined days in 2011. The majority of those closings and advisories were caused by unknown contamination sources, according to the report.”
Read the complete article and more details about the report’s findings for several Great Lakes area beaches at the link above.
IISG staffers get their hands dirty for wetland restoration
September 4th, 2012 by Irene Miles


Keeping Lake Michigan safe for everyone this summer
June 1st, 2012 by Irene Miles“…the National Weather Service’s Chicago office in Romeoville, Ill., and the Northern Indiana office teamed up with beach operators to enhance predicting and warning of rip currents along Lake Michigan’s beaches in an effort to reduce drowning deaths.In addition to modeling to predict rip currents, forecasters now have the help of lifeguards at beaches at Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton, Washington Park in Michigan City, Warren Dunes State Park in Sawyer, Mich., and Silver Beach County Park in St. Joseph, Mich. The lifeguards report water conditions twice daily and can see the rip currents in the water from their guard stands.”
In the news: Testing Lake Michigan water to maintain a safe shoreline
May 31st, 2012 by Irene Miles“Chicago’s new elaborate system of buoys and statistical models will monitor 16 of the city’s 24 beaches, and Park District officials are seeking grant money from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to expand the system to cover all beaches by next summer.The model will predict the levels of harmful bacteria at each beach using data on the location of sources of contamination, like colonies of sea gulls or sewer outlets; the motion of waves that can disturb bacteria growing in the sand; lake-current speeds; water temperature; and sunlight.”
Recent News
- Meet our Grad Student Scholars: Lena Azimi
- Spring brings a program review as well as education and outreach opportunities
- Public comments sought for Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant review
- Illinois Indiana Sea Grant announces new coastal ecosystem and community resilience specialist
- Meet our Grad Student Scholars: Haribansha Timalsina
IISG Instagram
Join us for a seminar on the latest fish biology, ecology, and fisheries science happening in Lake Michigan.
Speaker will include:
-Anna Hill (Purdue) with an update on alewife diet and growth rates in Lake Michigan
-Charlie Roswell (INHS) with an update on Lake Michigan and Calumet River smallmouth bass movement
-Dan Makauska (IL DNR) with an update from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Learn more and register at the link in bio.

Tune into a new episode of the Everyday Environment Podcast featuring IISG Great Lakes Contaminants Specialist, Sarah Zack! Plastics, medications, and cleaning products might seem harmless at home—but once they enter our waterways, they can become contaminants of emerging concern.
In Everyday Environment’s recent blog and podcast, Sarah shares how everyday choices can help reduce pollution and protect aquatic ecosystems.
Tune into the podcast and check out the blog at the link in bio.

Calling all 6-12th grade educators! Only 5 days left to register! Join us for a FREE hands-on workshop exploring the lessons of the new Crayfish and Freshwater Ecosystems Curriculum at the Dunes Learning Center on April 15.
Get your feet wet (literally!) with crayfish sampling on the Little Calumet River, learn from an expert aquatic ecologist, and master GIS technology to log scientific data. Participants should come prepared for outdoor learning and bring a laptop for classroom activities.
The workshop is open to formal and non-formal educators, with a registration deadline of April 1. Space is limited, so register today at the link in bio.

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant welcomes Hillary Glandon, the program’s new coastal ecosystem and community resilience specialist, to the team! Hillary will work to assess coastal change and provide actionable solutions for communities along the Great Lakes shorelines. Her position at IISG is in partnership with @inhsillinois in the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute.
Full story at the link in bio.

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