Indiana Dunes Water (Porter, Buffalo: safe, agriculture, air quality)

[canonviewfinder]

Is the water and air cleanliness anything to be concerned about at the Indiana Dunes state park? When looking at pictures I have noticed a factory in the close vicinity. Would like the shorter drive rather than heading up to the Michigan side.

[richb]

The water is safe at Indiana Dunes the vast majority of the time, the air all the time, no need to go to Michigan. Nothing to worry about from the factories. The state and federal parks test the water regularly, once in a while they may close it to swimming due to sewage dumped in Illinois after a huge storm. If Indiana beaches get closed to swimming the ones in lower Michigan could be too. Even if the water is closed the beach is still open.

[Bluefox]

Yep, richb is pretty much spot-on. The factories are more of an eyesore than anything else. To be honest though...if you're going to the coast anyway Michigan is a 25 minute drive or less (assuming you're going to Porter or LaPorte Co.). The Dunes State Park and Lakeshore have way more to do in terms of hiking, biking, historical places, biodiversity, etc. IMO but if I am just going to the beach I generally go to New Buffalo or points north. There's better food up there too (i.e. Redamaks) as well as some great farmers markets.

Of course, that's not to say there aren't good beaches on the Indiana side. The State Pk. beach is alright, but I prefer the eastern beaches like Kemil Beach. They are much more secluded and quiet, perfect if you just want to relax.

Either way..air quality most definitely shouldn't be a problem, and water quality only rarely.

[ShadowCaver]

AFAIK, as one that loves the area, and goes there a few times a year, the beaches and water are indeed relatively safe, and for the most part clean. However, during times of heavy rains, storm systems in Chicago and other nearby areas will flood, overflow, causing unsanitary conditions in the lake,,, and that crud can float wherever the wind, waves, etc. takes it... mainly easterly. Besides that, need to watch out for the inconsiderate jackarses and idiots that toss their trash on the beaches

Recent report: Officials advise against swimming at Dunbar, Porter beaches

The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore has issued an advisory against swimming in Lake Michigan waters off Dunbar and Porter beaches. According to a press release issued Friday morning, E. coli levels at those beach access areas exceed water quality standards for swimming. ...

Now,,, if you want to learn more than you might want to know, the following is a very good overview of the situation, the science, the knowns, the unknowns, the problems...
http://www.nps.gov/archive/indu/rese...coli_paper.htm

... Consider the many ways we rely on Lake Michigan’s water. We drink it, we bathe in it, we use it for transportation, commerce, agriculture, and industry. We fish from it; we boat in it; we swim in it. The list goes on. Unfortunately, this precious water is often polluted in a variety of ways. The primary focus of this article is on sewage contamination and the problems with current efforts to monitor recreational water quality. ...

A wide breadth of info herein: BeachCast - Monitoring Data and Maps

And: IDEM: Indiana Beach Program

Lastly, there is this updated monitoring site: https://extranet.idem.in.gov/beachguard/
Which, for the example shows past + current situations: https://extranet.idem.in.gov/beachgu...spx?BeachID=13

[PJSaturn]

Originally Posted by Bluefoxwarrior

Yep, richb is pretty much spot-on. The factories are more of an eyesore than anything else. To be honest though...if you're going to the coast anyway Michigan is a 25 minute drive or less (assuming you're going to Porter or LaPorte Co.). The Dunes State Park and Lakeshore have way more to do in terms of hiking, biking, historical places, biodiversity, etc. IMO but if I am just going to the beach I generally go to New Buffalo or points north. There's better food up there too (i.e. Redamaks) as well as some great farmers markets.

Great. Now you've got me hungry for a burger and some fried veggies from Radamak's!

OP, the beach and water are clean and beautiful at Indiana Dunes State Park, as well as the beaches in the National Lakeshore. I love hiking the paths in both areas. No need to travel to Michigan. Enjoy!