The IDEM BeachAlert mobile friendly application, newly developed for the 2021 beach season, allows beachgoers to monitor beach conditions and alerts at public and private beaches throughout Indiana in real time! The service replaces the legacy BeachGuard System, which had been in operation since 2008.

While IDEM BeachAlert is available to all Indiana beach communities as a way to voluntarily enter their beach monitoring and notification data, it was specifically designed to serve as an integral part of Indiana’s Lake Michigan Beach Monitoring and Notification Program. This program helps to protect the health of visitors to the Lake Michigan Coastal beaches in Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties by testing water samples for waterborne bacteria that may cause disease and alerting the public when the bacteria count exceeds state standards.

Like the BeachGuard system before it, BeachAlert is a free service that allows users to check if their favorite beaches are under a contamination advisory or closure, view water sample results, and find out information about the organization responsible for monitoring the beach. Plus, it adds a number of new features, including: a mobile-friendly interface, an interactive map, information on local beach amenities, water safety alerts (e.g., closures due to rip currents or other dangerous conditions), social media integration, and improved data export capabilities.

The new tool may be accessed by computer or mobile device at https://portal.idem.IN.gov/beachalert.