Although Venice Beach recently received high grades for water quality compared to neighboring beaches, ocean water is united and it only takes a strong current, storm or dumping mishap to change the situation. Now, there is an app for that. Historically people have lacked access to up-to-date, easy to understand information on where and when it is safe to swim, until this new online resource at http://www.theswimguide.org/ and app (app links are below).
Created by Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, the Waterkeeper Swim Guide is a smartphone app and website that tells you where your closest beaches are, which ones are open for swimming, and which have unreliable monitoring data. he Waterkeeper Swim Guide describes the laws, policies and sampling procedures that apply to your beaches; drawing attention to the beaches with chronic water quality problems so we can protect them; drawing attention to the areas where beach quality data is not collected, is unreliable, or is not being released; and promoting beaches with the best water quality.
The long-term intended benefits of the Waterkeeper Swim Guide include “improved public policy, a more engaged community, strengthened communications, and better restoration and protection of our waterways”. Beachgoers are passionate about their favorite beaches; if you discovered that your favorite beach was unsafe on some days, you would take action, wouldn’t you? The Swim Guide now makes it easy (although anyone involved in our community knows few things are ever easy).
Like beaches, the Waterkeeper Swim Guide is available for free to anyone with internet access or a smartphone. Throughout the summer and beyond, the Waterkeeper Swim Guide will be coming to your community to help ensure that you can go down to your local beach and have a swim without fear of getting sick.
Download the free app on the Android and iPhone today!
