Weekly Water Watch
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During the summer recreation season, our Weekly Water Watch e-newsletter provides updates on E. coli and microcystin beach advisories, important water quality news, and water-related events across the state.
Check back for updated beach advisories each week (disponible en Español) or sign up for the newsletter to get them in your inbox.
Read the latest issue of Weekly Water Watch for a list of current beach advisories.
Learn more about beach monitoring.
Beaches are updated each Friday with advisories Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
No advisories
E. coli advisory
Microcystin advisory
E. coli and microcystin advisories
Exceeds state advisory threshold for E. coli (what does this mean?)
Beach closed
2024 Weekly Water Watch Issues
| May 24, 2024 | May 31, 2024 | June 7, 2024 | June 14, 2024 |
| June 21, 2024 | June 28, 2024 | July 5, 2024 | July 12, 2024 |
| July 19, 2024 | July 26, 2024 | August 2, 2024 | August 9, 2024 |
| August 16, 2024 | August 23, 2024 | August 30, 2024 | September 6, 2024 |
Notable Statistics from Summer 2024
- Prior to this year, Lake Anita only had two microcystin advisories in the last 10 years – two in 2016 and one in 2014.
- Green Valley Lake, Honey Creek Resort Beach, and Lake Anita are the only state public beaches monitored by the Iowa DNR that have never had an E. coli advisory.
- Of the lakes monitored by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sugar Bottom Campground and West Overlook Beaches had 7 E. coli advisories.
- Since 2014, Backbone has experienced the most E. coli advisories of all monitored beaches at 138.
- Since 2014, Green Valley Lake Beach has experienced the most microcystin advisories of all monitored beaches at 55.
- 23 state park beaches recorded swim advisories this summer. 16 state park beaches did not record an advisory.