Regulations and Resources for Beaches:

 

Recommendations issued by the Ohio Department of Health for posting advisory signs at beach areas are based upon the E. coli bacteria content of water samples collected at each beach.

Evaluation of water sample results is based on the single sample maximum standard adopted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2004 for the evaluation of freshwater beaches. The single sample maximum standard allows beach managers to react more quickly to short-term changes in water quality, thus providing a greater level of protection for the bathing public.

The single sample maximum for E. coli bacteria content is 235 colony forming units (cfu) per 100mL of water tested.

 

They are licensed to be inspected by the Health Department a minimum of one time during the recreational season to identify any safety, sanitation, or water quality concerns. Water samples are collected and analyzed for bacteria to determine if the water quality is acceptable for swimming. Written inspections are provided to the beach operators for corrections to be made, if necessary.

 

Ohio’s Beach Water Quality & Advisories can be found here, which notifies the public of high sample results.

 

The Ohio Department of Health offers more information here.