Montana Beach Advisories — Live E. coli & Algal Bloom Status
Live data
Updated continuously
The current reading for this indicator updates live on the
Montana Gateway dashboard.
The data feed below is fetched from State Beach Monitoring Program · EPA BEACH Act via the
public /api/beaches endpoint.
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What this means
Under the federal BEACH Act, states test coastal and Great Lakes beaches for E. coli and enterococci during swim season (May–September in most states). A beach typically goes under advisory when E. coli exceeds 235 colonies per 100mL or enterococci exceeds 70 — the EPA thresholds linked to a ~3.6% risk of gastrointestinal illness from swimming. A closure means contamination is severe enough that the beach is closed to the public.
What you can do
- Before swimming, check your state health or environmental agency's daily beach advisory list.
- Avoid swallowing lake or ocean water — most bacterial risk is from accidental ingestion.
- Don't swim within 24-48 hours of heavy rain (storm runoff carries the most contamination).
- If you swim at an advisory beach and feel sick within 5 days, call your county health department.
Official sources & resources
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