County continues water tests in Lake Michigan

Samples are taken at Saugatuck Dunes State Park on Tuesdays, tested for E. coli.

Leaving her sandals behind, Tess Scheidel, sanitarian – groundwater specialist with the Allegan County Health Department, heads to Lake Michigan at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, 6575 138th Ave., on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.

After a three-quarter mile hike to the beach at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, there’s no better feeling than taking off your sandals and wading into Lake Michigan.

“I love my job,” Tess Scheidel, sanitarian – groundwater specialist with the Allegan County Health Department, said on Tuesday afternoon, June 3, 2025, as she headed into the about 50-degree water.

See Instagram video here.

Tess Scheidel, sanitarian – groundwater specialist with the Allegan County Health Department, collects water samples in lake Michigan at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, 6575 138th Ave., on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.

Scheidel dipped a small container into the waves, gathered a sample – she takes vials from three sites along the beach — that will be taken to a lab in Kalamazoo and tested for E. coli. Some strains of E. coli bacteria can cause stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. The contamination can come from wildlife, rain or agricultural runoff, failing septic systems or directly from swimmers.

If the samples surpass certain limits, the health department issues an advisory and notifies the public, recommending no contact with the water until tests come back with lower levels.

Sample results and advisories are posted on Beachguard that can be accessed through www.allegancounty.org under “Health.” Visit here.

Tess Scheidel, sanitarian – groundwater specialist with the Allegan County Health Department, brings a water sample back from Lake Michigan at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, 6575 138th Ave., on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.

A larger site

In recent years, the county did area testing at Laketown Township Beach, 6710 142nd Ave., but decided to move to nearby Saugatuck Dunes State Park, , 6575 138th Ave., this season because the state park’s 2.5 miles of beach is larger and busier than the township’s 200 feet of lake frontage.

“A larger beach means a greater area of the shoreline is monitored, allowing our samples to provide greater representation of the lake and any potential sources of contamination,” said Scheidel. “Additionally, because Saugatuck Dunes tends to be frequented more often by local residents and out-of-state visitors, routine monitoring for E. coli at Saugatuck Dunes would potentially serve a larger portion of beachgoers.”

Testing is done each Tuesday.

The county health department tests the beach once a week from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The department also tests Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Pier Cove Park Beach and West Side County Park Beach, both in Ganges Township. Inland lakes at Little John Lake County Park, Swan Lake Public Boat Launch, Gun Lake County Park and Dumont Lake County Park are also tested.

The testing is funded through grants from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

Tess Scheidel, sanitarian – groundwater specialist with the Allegan County Health Department, records the conditions at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, 6575 138th Ave., on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
Visitors head down a trail to the beach at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, 6575 138th Ave., on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, while Tess Scheidel, sanitarian – groundwater specialist with the Allegan County Health Department, walks back to her vehicle after collecting water samples for testing.