The Health Department of Northwest Michigan (HDNW) is reducing a full body beach advisory to a partial body beach advisory today for Richardi Park, in the Village of Bellaire, Antrim County. The advisory is posted at the beach.

The water sample taken on Wednesday showed an E. coli level of 372.7 per 100 milliliters (ml). According to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) water quality standards, E. coli levels testing between 301 and 1,000 per 100 ml qualify for a partial body contact advisory. Under this advisory, wading, paddling, and fishing are considered safe. The beach is located on E. Antrim Street in Bellaire.

The beach will be retested today, Thursday, August 21, and results will be shared with the public tomorrow.

Water sampling is done by HDNW throughout the summer months to monitor E. coli levels at many public beaches. The levels change frequently, impacted by the presence of fowl, waves, and more. When a sample comes back that creates an advisory of any type, the water at that beach is sampled again and the results are shared to keep the public updated.

HDNW posts beach monitoring reports on social media and weekly on the website at https://nwhealth.org/beach-monitoring-program/. Through an EGLE supported web-based program, the public has real-time access to beach water quality results for beaches all over Michigan. Information can be found at www.deq.state.mi.us/beach/.

To stay updated on all health-related news, subscribe to our monthly newsletter here. If you're looking for more information about HDNW, call us locally at 800-432-4121 or visit our website at nwhealth.org.