Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve is a freshwater beach in Door County, Wisconsin. Across 179 bacteria samples collected between 2021 and 2025 at nearby monitoring stations, it earns a Beach Safety Grade of B — Good.
About 3% of samples at Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve exceeded the EPA Beach Action Value of 235 CFU/100 mL for Escherichia coli — the threshold at which water managers typically post a swimming advisory. In practice that means the safe-swimming limit was rarely crossed here over the monitored period. Bacteria samples rarely exceed the safe-swimming threshold.
Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve was not under a swimming advisory in the most recent EPA snapshot. Conditions can change quickly after heavy rain or high runoff, so it's still worth checking the current advisory the day you go.
📍 44.7920, -87.3150 · Open in Google Maps. Coordinates mark the monitored shoreline, not a specific access point.
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Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve earns a Beach Safety Grade of B (Good), based on 179 bacteria samples where about 3% exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold. Always confirm the current advisory before swimming, especially after heavy rain.
Water samples near Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve are tested for Escherichia coli, uploaded to the EPA Water Quality Portal. A sample above the Beach Action Value (235 CFU/100 mL) signals a higher risk of illness from swimming. BeachGrade summarizes multiple years of those results into one grade.
Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve is a freshwater beach in Door County, Wisconsin.
Beach inventory and advisory status from the U.S. EPA BEACON program; bacteria samples from the Water Quality Portal. The Beach Safety Grade summarizes multiple years of monitoring — see our methodology. Water quality changes quickly, especially after rain; always check the official state or county advisory before swimming. BeachGrade is informational and not a substitute for official public-health guidance.