While bad weather or a rogue seagull could spoil your family’s day at the beach, some potential dangers are harder to see.
The Door County Public Health Department works with UW-Oshkosh to test water at Door County’s public beaches. Testing takes place one to four days a week, depending on a beach’s popularity.
Beach closures and advisories are primarily issued because of elevated bacteria levels, including E. coli, harmful algal blooms and other water quality concerns. The testing regimen resulted in 80 beach advisories and more than 40 closures in 2025.
Helping communicate the possible dangers lurking in the water are digital signs at 10 Door County beaches. Door County Public Health Strategist Shauna Blackledge says the signs allow staff to update a beach’s status in real time rather than wait for test results and for someone to return to the beach to make the change.
If you are planning a trip to the beach, you also can log on to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website to check its current status. As of Wednesday, no beach advisories or closures had been issued for Door County.
