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UPDATE: AS OF JULY 11, 2022, THE BEACHES HAVE ALL BEEN CLEARED.
Two beaches on Keweenaw Bay on Baraga County have been shut down because of high bacteria counts, and an advisory has been issued for a third.
Weekly testing showed higher than acceptable levels of E. coli at L’Anse Waterfront Park, the KBIC Zeba boat launch on Bayshore Drive, and the Head of the Bay beach along US-41 between L’Anse and Baraga.
Waterfront Park and the Zeba Boat Launch have been ordered closed. Swimming and other contact with the water in those areas should be avoided until an all-clear is given.
An advisory has been posted for the Head of the Bay. Exposure to the water should be limited, and efforts made not to drink it.
The likely culprit is runoff from recent rains, which tends to wash animal waste into the lake.
Levels typically clear within a few days, but no timetable for reopening the beaches has been offered.
Testing of the three beaches is done by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department.
Follow the links for the latest information about Waterfront Park, Head of the Bay, and the Zeba Boat Launch.
