Summer might be over, but a list has come out revealing Chicago's poopiest beaches. In other words, which beaches have the most fecal bacteria. Gross. The weather has been nice so this is good to know if you plan to go swimming.
Fecal bacteria in Chicago beach water got bad enough to trigger safety warnings 16% of the time this summer.
- Beaches with the best and worst records stayed pretty steady compared to previous years, according to city data analyzed by Axios.
Why it matters: Chicago is expected to stay in the 70s all week, making swimming tempting —if not legal. And since the city stops testing the water on Labor Day, there are no official warning flags to tell you when fecal levels (measured through concentrations of enterococci bacteria) get dangerous.
Context: During the summer, the city posts a yellow flag when enterococci levels hit 1,000 CCE (calibrator cell equivalents) or higher. It means swim with caution because people could get sick at that level.
The latest:2021 data showed that water at Humboldt Park, Montrose, and 63rd Street beaches tied for the most days with elevated enterococci levels (at 17 days each).
Ewww. You can get the full rundown HERE.