Waukegan North Beach Has Recorded Five 2026 Bacteria Closures; Beach Is Open

Waukegan North Beach is currently listed as open, but Illinois records show five high-bacteria closure incidents during the 2026 season. The incidents total seven listed closure days, including the most recent closure, which ran from July 28, 2026, at 8 a.m. to July 30, 2026, at 8 a.m.

The Illinois Department of Public Health’s BeachGuard listing identifies high bacteria levels as the reason for each 2026 closure. In all five records, the pollution source is listed as unknown.

Five closure incidents, seven listed days

The 2026 BeachGuard records for Waukegan North Beach show these five closure incidents:

• June 9, 2026, at 8 a.m. to June 10, 2026, at 8 a.m. — one day
• July 9, 2026, at 8 a.m. to July 10, 2026, at 8 a.m. — one day
• July 14, 2026, at 8 a.m. to July 15, 2026, at 8 a.m. — one day
• July 16, 2026, at 8 a.m. to July 17, 2026, at 8 a.m. — one day
• July 28, 2026, at 8 a.m. to July 30, 2026, at 8 a.m. — two days

That is five separate closure incidents and seven total days in the state record’s “Days Closed” column. BeachGuard currently lists Waukegan North Beach as open as of August 5, 2026.

What local monitoring covers

Lake County’s 2026 beach-monitoring schedule lists Waukegan North Beach among the Lake Michigan beaches monitored every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Those are planned monitoring days, not continuous or real-time measurement. Water conditions can change between sampling and a later advisory or status update.

What swimmers should check

Before entering the water, visitors should review the current Illinois BeachGuard advisory and closure status for Waukegan North Beach. The official listing is the best source for the beach’s recorded current status, but it does not guarantee that conditions will remain unchanged after the latest monitoring or update.

The 2026 records do not identify what caused the bacteria readings. They list the pollution source as unknown for each incident. The records therefore do not establish whether the contamination came from rainfall, runoff, sewage, wildlife or another source.

City beach operating conditions

The City of Waukegan says its municipal beach is open to the public year-round from dawn to dusk. No lifeguards are on duty, and swimming is at the visitor’s own risk.

Residents and visitors should check the Illinois BeachGuard listing before swimming and follow any advisory, closure notice or posted instruction at the beach.

Sources

• Illinois BeachGuard: Waukegan North Beach advisories and closures
• Lake County Beach Monitoring Schedule 2026
• City of Waukegan beach information