Is it safe to go in the water?

Before you go for a dip in one of Minnesota’s 11,842 lakes this summer or fry up a shore lunch of fish caught from one of those lakes, you might want to check your lake for mercury or fertilizer-induced algae blooms at Checkmylake.org. The new website from Conservation Minnesota allows Minnesotans to find out whether their favorite lakes are clean, polluted or not yet tested. The site makes information from the Minnesota Pollution Control Authority easy to access.

“Information on the health and safety of our lakes empowers all of us. We want Minnesotans to enjoy these summertime sports based on the best data and advice,” said Paul Austin, Conservation Minnesota’s executive director.

Right on cue, the MPCA just issued its first “No Water Contact” recommendation for the Park Point New Duluth Boat Club/14th St. Beach. The warning stems from a positive test result for e. coli and comes one day after the MPCA began its seasonal monitoring.