Crystal Lake Main Beach remains closed Monday for 5th straight day; Lake in the Hills beaches reopen

Crystal Lake’s Main Beach extended its streak of closed days Monday because of high bacteria levels.

Lake in the Hills’ Indian Trail and Butch Hagele beaches reopened Monday morning after being closed for several days for the same reasons.

The swimming beach at Three Oaks Recreation Area, also in Crystal Lake, reopened Sunday, according to the area’s rainout.com page.

West Beach at Crystal Lake remains open Monday for swimming. At Main Beach, where swimming has been prohibited since Thursday, boat rentals are still available, and the park remains open.

The several-day-long streak of closures extended what so far has been a challenging season for local beaches, some of which delayed their summer openings because of chilly weather in late May and early June, only to be followed by the high E. coli-related closures just before the Fourth of July holiday.

Beaches will reopen once new samples confirm that E. coli readings drop to acceptable levels. Factors such as natural die-off, wind, waves and ultraviolet rays from the sun all help reduce the level of bacteria. But how long it takes for the levels to reduce varies, according to the McHenry County Department of Health.

“The Health Department is continuing daily water quality checks, and we’re hoping to reopen as soon as conditions allow,” Crystal Lake Park District Recreation Superintendent Kurt Reckamp said regarding Crystal Lake Main Beach. “Unfortunately, there’s no specific treatment for the issue – it’s just a matter of waiting it out."

There are a variety of reasons for elevated levels of bacteria in the water, including storm runoff from rainfall, agricultural runoff, wild and domestic animal waste, bather defecation and wastewater.

Swimmers exposed to such high bacteria could develop gastroenteritis-type illness, with symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headache, a low-grade fever, skin rashes and earaches. The McHenry County Department of Health advises anyone who experiences these symptoms after swimming at a public beach to contact a physician and the beach manager.

You can check the status of beaches at the Illinois Department of Public Health’s BeachGuard site here: idph.illinois.gov/envhealth/ilbeaches/public.