Wisconsin's 185 Great Lakes beaches are playgrounds for summer fun. These resources help local officials make informed decisions about beach management and help beach visitors stay safe.
Find Great Lakes Beaches
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Wisconsin Coastal Guide Map
Use the "Beaches" tab to explore places to swim in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior in Wisconsin.
Promoting Beach Safety
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Great Lakes Beach Hazards Map
A seasonal website from roughly Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend that includes beach forecasts, beach safety information, and Great Lakes Water Safety
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Great Lakes Water Safety Network
Resources to understand and promote Integrated Nowcast/Forecast Operation System (INFOS). INFOS combines real-time observations from various sources to create nowcasts and forecasts that help those who visit water bodies make good decisions about safe swimming and water sports.
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Integrated Nowcast/Forecast Operation System (INFOS) Tool
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UW-Madison
Beach Health
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Wisconsin Beach Health Tool
This tool helps people make informed choices about health risks when deciding to go to the beach. Water quality sampling is provided for public beaches on the Great Lakes and inland waters. -
Beach Adviory and Closing Online Notification (BEACON 2.0) Tool
An inventory of ocean and Great Lakes beaches in the United States. -
Milwaukee County Beaches Tool
This tool provides accurate and timely information to the public about the beach, nearshore and weather conditions at public beaches within the Milwaukee County Parks system. -
Great Lakes Beach Hazards: Developing a Strategy for Dangerous Waves and Currents Publication
This report identifies how beachgoers perceive the risk of dangerous currents and waves in the Great Lakes, evaluates existing beach safety messages and delivery mechanisms, and translate technical information into understandable, actionable messages for specific beachgoer audiences.
Beach Management
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Wisconsin Shoreline Inventory and Oblique Photo Viewer Map
Explore how the Great Lakes coasts of Wisconsin have changed since 1976 by viewing beach and bluff conditions, oblique photos and coastal erosion. -
Virtual Beach Tool
"Virtual Beach" is a free decision-support software that enables coastal beach managers, public health professionals, and applied researchers to efficiently develop and operate water-quality models to inform beach-specific decisions. -
National Beach Nourishment Database Tool
This tool provides information on beach nourishment projects. There is information about 6 project sites and 24 nourishment events in Wisconsin. -
Beach-fx Tool
A modeling tool and analytical framework for evaluating the physical performance and economic benefits and costs of shore protection projects.