Beach Access measures whether public beaches were closed or under an advisory for human health concerns from high bacteria levels and other pollutants in beach waters. Public beaches are recreationally important resources that support local economies and are places for people to enjoy southeast Michigan’s rivers and lakes. Thus, beach advisories and closures are harmful in a number of ways and can also contribute to a negative view of the overall condition of the environment in southeast Michigan.
How is it scored?
This indicator was scored by the percentage of days a public beach was under an advisory or closed during the 2021 summer season (Memorial Day to Labor Day). If multiple beaches were present in a watershed, the average score of those beaches was used to calculate the watershed score. Watershed scores were population-weighted to calculate the region score.
Data source: Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s BeachGuard program (https://www.egle.state.mi.us/beach/) for 2021.