the beaches of your city

[jd3189]

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

Up until about 3-4 days ago, it's been like that down the entire coast this year, I think it's the lingering effects from such a cold wet rainy winter pattern. On Thursday, I had my wipers on driving to work from the dense marine layer mist.

Now it's warm and humid, like it should be.

Hopefully the more humid weather patterns continue for the next few years. It's the main reason California's weather is slightly better than Florida's. Back there, the afternoon thunderstorms and showers help block out the heat from the sun. In the Inland Empire, those June glooms and other foggy formations kept this place from constantly feeling like the surface of hell earlier this summer.

[edale]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

i've been going to chicago beaches every summer for the past 43 years.

they're not pristine like some untouched stretch of coast in southern chile, but they are not gross either.

the e coli hysteria is mostly just that. i swam in that same exact water for decades before they even bothered to start testing for that shit, and it never made me sick.

hell, when i was a kid, on summer break i damn near lived at the beach, swimming in that water every single day.

your sister was grossly misinformed.

Eh, the beaches are extremely urban and it rains all the time in Chicago, so I'm sure there is quite a bit of undesirable crap in that water. In LA, they say not to go into the ocean if its rained in the past 3 days. Since it doesn't rain in the summer in LA, it's not much of an issue. But following that same rule would take quite a few days out of the already short swim season in Chicago.

I'm not much one for swimming in a lake- prefer pools or the ocean- so I never felt that bypassing the lake beach was a big sacrifice while visiting Chicago. There is certainly plenty of other stuff to keep occupied there. I love looking at the lake and seeing the turquoise and blue colors as the backdrop to the city, but I don't think of the lake as being great for swimming. Up in northern Michigan, sure, but Chicago? Idk about that. Also wouldn't really be down for swimming in Lake Erie off of downtown Cleveland. Too much crap (sometimes literally) and uncontrolled runoff to deal with.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by edale

Eh, the beaches are extremely urban and it rains all the time in Chicago, so I'm sure there is quite a bit of undesirable crap in that water. In LA, they say not to go into the ocean if its rained in the past 3 days. Since it doesn't rain in the summer in LA, it's not much of an issue. But following that same rule would take quite a few days out of the already short swim season in Chicago.

uhhh........ the chicago river was reversed 120 years ago, so rain that falls in chicago is diverted down the des plaines river and eventually into the mississippi, not into lake michigan, so that's generally not an issue. the river was reversed explicitly to keep all of that crap out of lake michigan, the source of chicago's drinking water. if it's good enough for 9 million people to drink and bathe in everyday, it's good enough to swim in.

every once in a while chicago's massive deep tunnel system is overwhelmed by extremely large rain events, and untreated water will back-up into the river and they end up opening control locks in downtown chicago and up in wilmette to release excess water into the lake. when that happens they do close area beaches for a couple days until lake currents can dilute that run-off to safe levels, but that's typically only once, maybe twice a summer.

Originally Posted by edale

I'm not much one for swimming in a lake- prefer pools or the ocean

i'm the complete opposite. i much prefer lake swimming over any other kind - no salt, no chlorine, no sharks - just beautiful fresh water, with nothing that can eat ya.

Originally Posted by edale

I don't think of the lake as being great for swimming. Up in northern Michigan, sure, but Chicago? Idk about that.

that's super. literally millions of chicagoans disagree with you.

if it was actually something to be worried about, there's no way in hell i would let my children swim in the lake all the time.

but be afraid, be very afraid, your sister sure has some amazing hold over you.

next time you're in the windy city, be sure not to drink any tap water because, ya know, scary, scary stuff.

[the urban politician]

I personally swam as a kid in Lake Michigan, and my kids have as well.

None of us have grown a third eye so far

[edale]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

but be afraid, be very afraid, your sister sure has some amazing hold over you.

next time you're in the windy city, be sure not to drink any tap water because, ya know, scary, scary stuff.

Not sure why you're being so defensive about this. You love all things Chicago, so of course the 'beaches' there are perfect and amazing and wonderful. I have no desire to swim in a dirty lake (with known high levels of e coli) immediately adjacent to a big city's downtown. I wouldn't want to swim in San Diego Bay, Biscayne Bay, or the frickin' Hudson River, either. Hell, people swim in the Ohio river right outside of Cincinnati and I think that's incredibly disgusting. But people do it and they haven't grown third eyes, so jokes on me I guess!

I think it's an issue of having different standards

[pj3000]

Biscayne Bay can often be rather disgusting.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by edale

You love all things Chicago, so of course the 'beaches' there are perfect and amazing and wonderful.

i never said any of that shit.

i just strongly disagreed with your sister's admonishment of "don't swim in lake michigan, you'll get sick if you do".

that's 100% grade-A fear-mongering nonsense.

if it were true, our family would have been sick all summer long because we go to the beach as often as our schedule allows.

[craigs]

Person 1: My sister lives in City X and says the beaches are deadly
Person 2: My family and I have lived in City X for decades, and we swim at the beach often in the summer, and nobody has died.
Person 1: You're biased! You're a homer! My sister is the one true authority on City X, and would never be misinformed or exaggerate a threat!

[Handro]

Chicago is the only city to use same day DNA testing for water quality on our beaches.

Comparing Lake Michigan to the Hudson River is asinine. One of the world's greatest marvels of civil engineering took place here 120 years ago when the Chicago River was reversed, thus pulling waste away from the lake and keeping it clean. If one is simply afraid of swimming in natural bodies of water, that's one thing. But to be afraid of Lake Michigan over, say, the Gulf Coast--which has seen a recent uptick in cases of flesh eating bacteria--is silly. And I don't see many people scared to swim at Panama City Beach.

[pj3000]

“Hypodermics on the (Jersey) shore”

[JManc]

I'd think Lake Michigan would be fairly clean due to its huge size and ability to 'clean' itself compared to smaller lakes; Onondaga Lake near Syracuse for example.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by JManc

I'd think Lake Michigan would be fairly clean due to its huge size and ability to 'clean' itself compared to smaller lakes; Onondaga Lake near Syracuse for example.

As I’m sure you know, the Great Lakes are really a single Lake that is constantly turning over its water. Lake Erie does it the quickest by far, being the shallowest by far. I think it completely changes it’s water every 25 years

[pj3000]

And I’ve read the Skaneateles Lake in the finger lakes is one of the cleanest in the nation. Which is interesting because Onondaga is one of the most polluted (chemically, I think).

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by JManc

I'd think Lake Michigan would be fairly clean due to its huge size and ability to 'clean' itself

yes, hugeness is a part of it. lake michigan, like the other great lakes, has strong currents that make it operate more like a sea than your typical small lake, and they help keep the water moving. churn and dilute.

and with the invasion of the zebra and quagga mussels, it is said that the total volume of lake michigan's water can be filtered about once per week by the trillions of those little filter feeding bastards.

that's roughly 50 total filtering cycles per year. it's a big reason why lake michigan's water has gotten so clear and blue over recent decades.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

yes, hugeness is a part of it. lake michigan, like the other great lakes, has strong currents that make it operate more like a sea than your typical small lake, and they help keep the water moving. churn and dilute.

and with the invasion of the zebra and quagga mussels, it is said that the total volume of lake michigan's water can be filtered about once per week by the trillions of those little filter feeding bastards.

that's roughly 50 total filtering cycles per year. it's a big reason why lake michigan's water has gotten so clear and blue over recent decades.

Yeah, I was up on Presque Isle in Erie last weekend. The water is fucking gorgeously clear and turquoise with those little Asian invaders’ help

[JManc]

Originally Posted by pj3000

As I’m sure you know, the Great Lakes are really a single Lake that is constantly turning over its water. Lake Erie does it the quickest by far, being the shallowest by far. I think it completely changes it’s water every 25 years

That I didn't know. I knew they were connected but never knew that functioned as one.

Originally Posted by pj3000

And I’ve read the Skaneateles Lake in the finger lakes is one of the cleanest in the nation. Which is interesting because Onondaga is one of the most polluted (chemically, I think).

Onondaga was the dirtiest in the world at one point. They've finally got to a point where you can now jetski or swin in parts.

[edale]

Originally Posted by craigs

Person 1: My sister lives in City X and says the beaches are deadly
Person 2: My family and I have lived in City X for decades, and we swim at the beach often in the summer, and nobody has died.
Person 1: You're biased! You're a homer! My sister is the one true authority on City X, and would never be misinformed or exaggerate a threat!

Here's an article from a month ago about 4 out of 6 beaches in Evanston having to close because of unsafe levels of e-coli in the water, but go off.

"Four of the six beaches–from Lee Street on the south to Lincoln Street at Northwestern–are closed due to high e. coli levels in the water. Those levels likely rose because of heavy downpours on Thursday that washed the bacteria from shore."
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/07...eaches-closed/

[Steely Dan]

^ you can easily find articles about e. coli beach closures from coast to coast.

apparently all beaches are now "gross".


FWIW, we've gone to foster/hollywood beaches here in chicago about a half dozen times this summer. not once have the beaches been closed because of e. coli, and chicago park district rigorously tests its beach water daily (FAR more frequently than your typical beach).

and even then, i'm still very skeptical of this so-called e.coli menace. back when i was a kid in the 70s/80s, they didn't even test the water for that shit, and with the ridiculous amount of time i spent swimming in lake michigan back then, i'm sure that i swam in plenty of high e.coli water without issue. i probably built up a resistance to it.

my family (along with millions of other chicagoans) will continue disregarding your sister's "advice".

[woodrow]

Originally Posted by edale

I've heard the beaches in Chicago are pretty gross, and there is often high levels of e coli in the water. When my sister was living in Chicago, she always told me to avoid the beaches (at least near downtown) because I'd get sick.

A quick Google search says this is correct.
https://news.wttw.com/2019/07/23/stu...o-area-beaches

That is a news article about a study done by an ADVOCACY organization that found half of the 2600 beaches they sampled in 29 states & Puerto Rico to be unsafe! 1300!! Best not go to ANY beach! Seems a little fear mongering.
Note in the article that Chicago Park District questions their testing methodology and that CPD tests every day.

This is not to discount the goals the group advocates. Cleaner water solutions are super important and Chicago is working (too slowly perhaps) on newer, better ways of dealing with runoff. There are days that I certainly wouldn't go swimming in Lake Michigan near the city, but to not go in due to a generalized fear e.coli is limiting yourself from a terrific experience - floating in the water and looking at one of the most gorgeous cities in the world.

[The North One]

Originally Posted by edale

Here's an article from a month ago about 4 out of 6 beaches in Evanston having to close because of unsafe levels of e-coli in the water, but go off.

Oh bless you, doing the important hard google search work for us. You're reaching crawfordian levels of trolling, give it a rest.

Oh lookey here https://ktla.com/2019/07/26/nearly-6...h-among-worst/