Environmental Assessment >  BEACH Home > Lakes Information

Lakes and Rivers Monitoring Information

Are Washington lakes and rivers safe to swim in? Who is checking to make sure?

The risks associated with swimming in natural waters include:

• drowning.
• infection.
• illness from harmful algal blooms.
• illness from sewage.

Learn how to spot a "poopy" beach and avoid getting sick on our advice page.  Learn about harmful algal blooms from the Center for Disease Control.

Washington State does not have a statewide program to monitor freshwater swimming beaches for public health. An EPA grant fully funds the BEACH Program.  One of the grant requirements is we spend the money on saltwater (marine) beaches.

If individual counties or cities have the resources, they may monitor the water quality of some lakes and rivers. They may test for fecal bacteria and/or harmful algae blooms.

Click on your county to find out who is monitoring your lake or river.

Additional Lakes Information

Department of Ecology’s Algae Control Program

The Department of Ecology has an Algae Control  Program.  You can check the on-line database to see if your lake has been monitored and view the latest results.

Ecology’s Lakes Program: 1989 - 1999

Ecology was able to monitor lakes statewide from 1989 through 1999 with funding from an EPA grant. This program has been discontinued, but historic lake data is available.

Aquatic Plants Algae and Lakes

The Department of Ecology provides information about plant identification, plant management, pesticide usage and more on the Aquatic Plants Algae and Lakes page

Aquatic Invasive Non-Native Plant Monitoring

The Department of Ecology has a program to monitor aquatic invasive non-native plants. The agency provides a searchable database of aquatic plants in lakes and other information about the aquatic weed control research work they do on lakes.