SRC:http://angrybeaches.blogspot.com/2012/08/ Beach Terrace
To preface, Katie and I had a hard time evaluating Calumet. It’s not the beach’s fault that there is a ginormous factory looming over it. But that building severely handicaps this beach, and no matter how much the beach tries or how many amenities it might add, the fact is, it feels ew, gross. We were pleased to see the beach healthily populated, and appreciate that for many families, this is their home beach. Still, we have some concerns. In the water sits blue plastic tubing that creates an arch, with both ends of the arch landing on shore. According to a lifeguard, the city is doing an experiment to determine if the water inside the arch is any less polluted than the water outside of the arch. But as even the lifeguard pointed out, the experiment is somewhat pointless because there is no way the city can afford to partition off every beach, let alone this one, to insulate it from bacteria. And right now, all the arch seems to be doing is collecting and maintaining seaweed. (Fun fact: Calumet Park Beach was the most-often closed beach in former years due to bacteria, but now that that’s no longer a criterion for beach closings, you’ll never know the days when you’re basking in a bath of E.coli! But if you’re really curious, your intestines will let you know 3-4 days later.) Thankfully, there are on-site, indoor showers that can help rid your body of unwanted parasites and such, and even lockers available for you to store your stuff. We definitely give points to Calumet Park Beach for these considerations, but I dunno…I’ve heard about that crazy flesh-eating bacteria stuff and I would be just a little more comfortable swimming upshore from the factories. I’m hardly a germophobe; what for most people is the “5-second rule” is more like a suggestion to me. But come on people, let’s have standards.