Forest Park Beach in Lake Forest and Sunrise Beach in Lake Bluff are both closed Wednesday, July 29, after water samples showed dangerous levels of fecal bacteria, according to the Lake County Health Department via Patch.
The closures come two days after Monday's severe storms battered the area with tornadoes, damaging hail, and flooding. The health department said post-storm runoff pushed E. coli counts at or above 235 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters of water, the threshold that triggers a closure and posted signage at the beach.
The two local beaches are among 13 Lake County beaches shut down Wednesday. Only three coastal Lake Michigan beaches in the county remain open without any advisory: Highland Park Moraine Dog Beach, Lake Bluff Dog Beach, and South Beach at Illinois Beach State Park in Zion.
A double hazard
Waves are the other risk.
The National Weather Service issued a Beach Hazards Statement for the Illinois and Indiana shores of Lake Michigan through Wednesday morning, warning of waves of 7 to 11 feet and dangerous currents. The agency advised people to stay out of the water and off piers and breakwalls.
A Small Craft Advisory was also in effect for nearshore waters until 7 a.m. CDT Wednesday, July 29.
The health department's guidance is straightforward: avoid swimming after a large rain event, because runoff elevates bacteria levels in the water column. E. coli, found in the intestines of nearly all warm-blooded animals, can make people sick if ingested at high concentrations.
What comes next
No reopening date has been announced for either beach. The health department collects water samples from Lake Michigan beaches four days per week during its Memorial Day-through-Labor Day monitoring season. Beaches reopen once retesting shows bacteria levels have dropped below the 235 E. coli threshold.
Monday's storms, which the NWS Chicago office described as producing "multiple tornadoes, extensive wind damage, damaging hail, and flooding," have already prompted a separate storm debris pickup deadline in Lake Forest and left nearly 1,900 Lake Bluff homes without power earlier this week.
Weather conditions are expected to improve Thursday, July 30, with highs near 86°F. Residents can check the latest beach status on the Lake County Health Department's beach monitoring page at lakecountyil.gov.
