MILWAUKEE — After two of Milwaukee’s beaches were closed for swimming earlier this week due to elevated levels of E. coli, the county reopened them Friday afternoon.
Multiple times a week, Julia Zimmer will test the water collected at city beaches for E. coli.
She is the senior microbiologist for the Milwaukee Health Department.
“Our partners at UW-Milwaukee will collect beach water for us three times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and then we process those [the] same day so we can get results in three to four hours,” said Zimmer.
On Wednesday, water samples from Bradford and South Shore revealed higher than normal levels of E. coli.
This is why health officials recommended the public not swim in the water.
The samples received on Friday turned in a different result, so they were reopened.
Lucas Beversdorf, the assistant lab director, said the tests they run are similar to the ones used to detect COVID-19.
“Traditionally, tests would take 18-24 hours, so when we were getting results, we were actually sending out results based on yesterday's sample. So now that we can turn those tests around faster, we are getting communication out faster," said Beversdorf. "We can retest on a Wednesday and Friday and close a beach if we need to but also reopen it if we can.”
Zimmer said E. coli is used to determine the safety of the beaches for one reason.
“A study done by the EPA done quite a while ago correlated the different amounts of E. coli in our beaches to gastrointestinal diseases from beach goers. So the higher amount of E. coli, they saw increased amount of gastrointestinal diseases from people at the beaches,” said Zimmer.
With all of the events happening this week from the Milwaukee Air and Water Show to Harley-Davidson Homecoming and Germanfest, both Zimmer and Beversdorf said they are happy that the public can enjoy the beaches the way they see fit.
They will also continue to monitor the levels throughout the summer.
To check on the conditions of the beaches, click here.