Get up-to-date beach conditions

GREEN BAY - For much of the past decade, the fates of days at the beach have been determined in labs like the one at the Brown County Health Department.

And while “Beach Closed” signs are a rude greeting for beachgoers, they should be less of a surprise, thanks to a new state Web site. At the "Beach Health" Web site, you can click on the map right on the front page, to see which Wisconsin beaches are open and which are closed. You can also select a county, and even go as far as an individual beach.

If you're looking for an inland beach - in other words, a beach that's not on Lake Michigan or Superior, there's a link at the top for information on those beaches.

Health officials are working to keep the information up to date.

"Our beaches are tested once a week,” John Paul, laboratory director at the Brown County Health Department, said. “When that test is completed, we have to enter that data within 24 hours - that's our agreement with the DNR and the EPA."

You can find a link to the "Beach Health" Web site at fox11online.com. Click on "Good Day Wisconsin," then on "Web Watch Links."