Racine lifeguard season ends after rough closing weekend

City of Racine lifeguards, right, keep a close watch on beachgoers Saturday to enforce a bacteria contamination closure of North Beach during the final weekend of the season for lifeguards on the lakefront.

Cara Shetty, 9, of Schaumburg, Illinois, plays in the sand Saturday at North Beach in Racine after bacteria contamination closed the beach, meaning that swimming and playing in the water was prohibited.

A red light signals a high hazard Saturday at North Beach in Racine after city officials detected bacteria contamination in the water on the final weekend of the season for lifeguards on the lakefront.

RACINE — City lifeguards have wrapped up another season on the Racine lakefront, following a final weekend in which unsafe bacteria and rough weather closed both major beaches.

The City of Racine announced the end of the summer lifeguard season at North Beach and Zoo Beach effective Sunday.

The Lake Michigan beaches remain open to the public all year long, but without lifeguards during the off-season.

Both beaches were closed to swimming Saturday and most of the day Sunday because of a combination of high levels of E. coli bacteria and dangerous water currents.

With bacteria limits of 1,000 parts per sample for public beaches, officials on Saturday said North Beach recorded levels of 1,352 and Zoo Beach had 879 parts per measure for E. coli.

Racine collects water samples daily from the beaches to test for bacteria levels.

Both beaches also were experiencing high winds and dangerous water currents, enough to warrant closing Zoo Beach for that reason.

The bacteria levels were lower on Sunday, officials said, but both beaches remained closed until about 3:30 p.m. Sunday because of the dangerous current created by high winds.

Despite the hazardous conditions, some weekend beachgoers tried to squeeze in one last day in the sun.

Sid and Patricia Shetty of Schaumburg, Illinois, brought their two children to North Beach, and the family tried to enjoy themselves Saturday without going into the contaminated water.

Patricia Shetty said they were disappointed by the closure, but the children seemed to be having fun just playing in the sand.

“That’s good enough,” Shetty said. “You’ve got to make lemonade out of lemons.”

Lifeguards patrolling North Beach on the final weekend found that the rugged conditions and bacteria contamination did not keep everyone out of the water.

Lifeguard Phil Kiley said some beachgoers insisted on taking a dip in the lake — in many cases outside the limited area of North Beach that is assigned to lifeguards, which is about one-fourth of the mile-long beach.

Kiley said his crew could only warn people about the bacteria contamination and other hazards.

“We let them know about it,” he said. “If they’re going to go in, it’s at that point really their choice.”

Water-quality testing for bacteria continues until around Labor Day.

The lighted hazard signs on swimming conditions at Zoo and North beaches typically are shut down by October.

After lifeguard season, the signs follow the National Weather Service signal, which may or may not match local assessments, according to Kiley.

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Choosing the right swimwear color can make a big difference when it comes to water safety.