Swim at Your Own Risk

It won’t be long now before both tourists and seasonal residents begin returning to Door and Kewaunee Counties for the summer. As always, one of the most popular summer activities will be visiting and swimming at one or more of our nearly 70 beaches. However, before you dip a toe in the water at your favorite beach, you might want to check the quality of the water.

Recent beach reports, provided by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/water/beachmonitoring.htm), indicate that several Door and Kewaunee County beaches frequently have elevated levels of E. coli that result in advisories and closures. Beach reports also reveal that the frequency of elevated levels of E. coli and beach advisories and closures are increasing rather than decreasing.

Between 2018 and 2022, beach advisories and closures rose from 24 to 43 or a whopping 79 percent increase at three Door County beaches (Otumba, Ephraim, and Fish Creek). Likewise, in Kewaunee County, advisories and closures increased from none to 32 during the same period at Crescent and Selner beaches. Based on recent history, it’s very likely that this upward trend in beach advisories and closures may well continue in 2023.

Who and/or what is responsible for this increase? Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), failing septic systems, municipal sewage systems, bird droppings, climate change? More importantly, how do we turn this trend around? We can start by stopping the proliferation and expansion of CAFOs and the spreading of hundreds of millions of gallons of liquid manure over thin soils and the underlying karst rock in both Kewaunee and Door Counties. We can also ensure that septic systems continue to be inspected and maintained on a regular basis.

Please join us as we work to ensure that residents and tourists are made aware of these findings and help us eliminate the causes of these insults to the quality of our water.