Giving you essential information that could impact your health before you lay out your towel at Door County beaches is the goal of a monitoring system that expanded to five new locations this year. The Door County Parks Department, Door County Public Health Department, UW-Oshkosh, and SwimSmart have collaborated since 2023 to install new monitoring systems at 10 beach sites across the county. After UW-Oshkosh Environmental Research and Innovation Center lab technicians test the water at Door County beaches for harmful contaminants like bacteria and E. Coli, they send the information to the two Door County departments and SwimSmart to alert them of potentially hazardous. The information lights up the signage like a stop sign to warn people if it's safe (green) and not safe (red) or if they should be cautious (yellow). After five signs were installed at Door County beaches in Baileys Harbor, Sturgeon Bay, and Egg Harbor, additional funding from sources like Destination Door County allowed additional signage installed at Sister Bay Beach, Peninsula State Park, and Whitefish Dunes State Park. Door County Public Health Strategist Shauna Blackledge says relaying the information to visitors in real-time can help them keep families safe from potentially getting sick from swimming.

With one Door County beach closed as of Friday morning and another eight under an advisory due to elevated bacteria, Blackledge advises beachgoers to keep an eye on the Wisconsin DNR’s Beach Advisory website to find out if their beach has any concerns. She hopes the SwimSmart system can be expanded to other beaches in the county with more funding. Officials from the county, UW-Oshkosh, Destination Door County, and SwimSmart will have a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the installation of the signs at Sunset Park in Sturgeon Bay on Wednesday at 11 a.m.