Sheboygan Beaches

Sheboygan County has numerous public beaches along Lake Michigan. 
The following beaches are routinely sampled throughout the summer for elevated E. coli numbers. Click the image for their location on google maps. 

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Why Do We Sample Public Beaches?

The federal BEACH (Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health) Act is an amendment to the Clean Water Act which requires all coastal states, including Great Lakes states, to develop programs for effective water quality monitoring and public notification at coastal recreational beaches.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made grants available to participating states to develop and implement a statewide beach program. These funds allow communities with Great Lakes beaches to monitor for elevated levels of Escherichia coli (commonly referred to as E. coli), a pathogen that can cause illness if ingested. The monitoring data helps local health officials determine when to close a beach due to unsafe conditions and to notify the public so that beach visitors can make informed choices about swimming at the beach.

Sampling the beaches helps to prevent illness of swimmers from things like swimmers itch and other potential pollutants. 

Beach Monitoring

The beach monitoring season runs from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend each year. The beach locations that we sample and the number of times a week we sample is based on the popularity of the beach. 

We sample for bacteria utilizing quantitative coliform and E. coli sampling through a certified laboratory. This method provides us with a numeric value we can use to  evaluate whether it is safe to swim in the water based on EPA standards. 

You can see any beach status in the state by clicking on the button below.

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What Do the Signs Mean?

The EPA requires that beaches be posted with an advisory sign informing the public of increased health risk when a water sample exceeds 235 colony-forming units of E. coli per 100 milliliters of water.

You may see health signs or flags when swimming at local beaches. Green is Good, yellow is Caution, and red is Closed.

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For More Information

Visit the DNR website to find more information about beaches. 

Questions and Resources

Do you have questions about a public beach in Sheboygan County? 
Contact us at (920) 459-3207 or email at environmental.health@sheboygancounty.com.

4/11/2025