We’re stoked to celebrate the launch of the Chicago Chapter’s new Blue Water Task Force (BWTF), the first Surfrider BWTF program in the Great Lakes! The program was inspired in part by local surfers who had been reporting getting sick after surfing during the months when no routine water quality testing was taking place.
The new program is helping fill a critical gap in water quality monitoring at Chicago-area beaches. While agency-led water quality monitoring takes place at beaches from Memorial Day through Labor Day, people are still surfing, swimming, and enjoying Lake Michigan in the spring and fall, when there would otherwise be no regular water quality testing. Chicago Chapter volunteers are now helping extend that coverage, collecting water samples every Wednesday at Montrose Beach from September through November. The team will pause sampling during the winter as ice shelves begin to form, putting volunteer safety first, and will resume sampling from March through May.
Left: The very first BWTF sample collected at Montrose Beach—and the first-ever BWTF sample collected in the Great Lakes. Top right: A surfer riding a wave at Montrose Beach. Photo credit: Joe Siwak. Bottom right: A Great Lakes surfer sporting an ice beard.
Once a sample is collected, Surfrider volunteers drive it to the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), where lab staff and student researchers analyze the water for fecal indicator bacteria. The results are then posted to the Blue Water Task Force database and shared through the Chicago Chapter’s social media channels, providing valuable water quality information to the public.
This new program is made possible through a partnership between Surfrider Chicago and UIC, with support from Stoke Riders. BWTF volunteers receive discounts on wetsuits and lessons from Stoke Riders. But this is just the beginning. The team is already exploring opportunities to expand testing to additional beaches and build new partnerships that can help grow the reach and impact of the Chicago BWTF program. Stay tuned for future developments.
We’re incredibly excited to see the Blue Water Task Force expand into the Great Lakes and are grateful to everyone making this work possible. Here’s to more data, greater awareness, and clean water for everyone.
Welcome to the BWTF family, Chicago!
Instagram video produced by the Surfrider Chicago Chapter.
Cover photo: Surfrider Chicago members celebrating 17 years of legal surfing at Montrose Beach. Photo credit: Joe Siwak.
As Blue Water Task Force Manager, Jaime is passionate about protecting the water. With a Master’s degree in Biological Sciences, she has gained extensive experience addressing critical water quality issues through her previous roles with the National Park Service and various other environmental organizations.