The city of Holland has installed a new camera at Holland State Park, which will be used to provide water and beach safety information.
The MiHollandCAM is located on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration station tower at the state park, and it will be the first camera on the Great Lakes to be used for research.
The camera will give researchers video imagery that will allow for observations of the water levels. It will also be used for the red flag campaign that warns residents of dangerous swimming conditions and be available for first responders during any emergency.
“The City is proud to partner with NOAA and Michigan DNR to provide safety and environmental information at Holland State Park as well as real time video of beach conditions for the general public," said Holland Mayor Nathan Bocks.
The video imagery will be a "valuable source of lake observations," said Dr. Greg Dusek, a senior scientist for NOAA. He said it will help with their rip current forecasting on the Great Lakes.
Ron Olson, the chief of the DNR Parks and Recreation Division, said the web cam will help with managing beach safety and other warnings.
"The Great Lakes are at their highest levels in 30 years, which can lead to stronger and more dangerous currents. Therefore, we strongly encourage visitors to swim within designated swim areas at all state parks, so visitors can keep a close eye on the beach flags and more easily monitor swim conditions," he said.
This is the city's eighth web camera, which are all called MiHollandCAM. The first one was installed at Windmill Gardens in 2016. All of them can be seen here.
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