Iowa Beach Advisories — Live E. coli & Algal Bloom Status
Live data
Updated continuously
The current reading for this indicator updates live on the
Iowa Gateway dashboard.
The data feed below is fetched from EGLE BeachGuard (Iowa Beach Monitoring Program) via the
public /api/beaches endpoint.
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What this means
Iowa tests over 400 public beaches throughout the summer (May–September) for E. coli and algal toxins. A beach goes under advisory when E. coli exceeds 300 colonies per 100mL of water — that's the level the EPA links to a ~3.6% risk of gastrointestinal illness from swimming. A closure means contamination is severe enough that the beach is closed to the public.
What you can do
- Before swimming, check the EGLE BeachGuard daily list for your beach.
- Avoid swallowing lake water — most bacterial risk is from accidental ingestion.
- Don't swim within 24-48 hours of heavy rain (storm runoff carries the most contamination).
- If you swim at an advisory beach and feel sick within 5 days, call your county health department.
Official sources & resources
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