Briefs: Click before you swim

Illinois residents can now check the water quality at beaches across the state through the Illinois Department of Public Health's Web site, http://app.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/ilbeaches/public/. The Web site now includes information about public and private beaches, including water testing results, advisories or beach closures and beach monitoring history. The site includes beach site details, such as location, whether it is public or private, who owns the beach and monitors it. The state health department licenses all swim beaches in Illinois under the Swimming Facility Act, except those on Lake Michigan that are operated by a municipality. Towns operating beaches on Lake Michigan perform water testing and public notification in compliance with the 2000 federal Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act, and are funded by the state.

Park concert tonight

The Lindenhurst Park District's concerts in the parks series will begin tonight with British Export, a Beatles cover band. The concert is the first of seven to be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday through July 23. Concerts will be at Mallard Ridge Park, 110 Robincrest Lane, through June, and at Engle Memorial Park, 2200 E. Grass Lake Road, in July. For more information on upcoming concerts, call the hotline at (847) 356-6011.

Ash borer firewood ban

Visitors to Illinois Department of Natural Resources sites are reminded there is a ban on firewood from any area a quarantine has been imposed to limit the spread of the emerald ash borer. The ash borer was first detected in Illinois in 2006 and has been confirmed in communities in Cook, Kane, DuPage and LaSalle counties. A quarantine zone has been established in the 18-county area of northeast Illinois. Visitors may be asked to forfeit their firewood by site or campground staff if it is from a quarantine area, which also includes parts of Michigan, Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Ontario, Canada. Visit www.IllinoisEAB.com or www.emeraldashborer.info.

Wauconda water rules

Wauconda will begin its annual water conservation period from June 15 through Sept. 15. The water conservation program works as follows: Homes and businesses with even-number addresses can water on even-numbered days and those with odd-numbered addresses can water on odd-numbered days. There are no restrictions on how many hours a day residents can water. If water tables reach a critical low point, the village will implement its emergency water ordinance. The ordinance also calls for even- and odd-day watering, but restricts the hours that residents can water. Residents will be notified if this becomes necessary through signs in their neighborhood as well as the Connect CTY telephone notification system and the village e-mail update.