The other day, my kid asked if we could go to the beach and I said, "sure, but let's go this weekend, since I have to work today." This morning there was an e-mail in my inbox with this subject line, "Hitting the beach this weekend? Think twice."

The e-mail was sent by Madison's Clean Wisconsin environmental advocacy organization and said:

"With temperatures across the state expected to be in the upper 80s and low 90s this weekend, it will be a great time to get out and enjoy Wisconsin's sun and surf. But Wisconsin residents will be heading to some of the dirtiest beaches in the nation, according to a recent report.

"The Natural Resources Defense Council released its 19th annual Testing the Waters report, which compiles data on water quality and beach closings across the nation last week. The report found that 13 percent of beaches in Wisconsin on lakes Michigan and Superior violated public health standards for swimming, which is nearly twice the national average; the report ranked each state based on the percentage of beachwater samples that exceed the national daily standard. Additionally, 37 percent of the state's Great Lakes beaches do not undergo water testing."

"Simply stated," says Melissa Malott, Clean Wisconsin's water program director, "our beaches among the most contaminated in the nation, coming in at 26 out of 30 states ranked.

Great. Just great. Now I'm really into the idea of taking my family out on to the sandy shores of Lake Michigan this weekend.

Milwaukee's South Shore Beach is No. 2 on the list of Top 5 dirtiest beaches in the state. That's quite a distinction. At the top is Wisconsin Point Beach 2 in Douglas County, on Lake Superior. The final three on the list are all on Lake Michigan: Fischer Park and Neshotah Beach in Manitowoc County and Kenosha County's Eichelman Beach.

The last time I put most of my body into Lake Michigan I broke out in hives the following day. I can't guarantee one had anything to do with the other, but it's already made me a bit leery about Lake Michigan water fun. Today's news isn't making it much better.

Got a good inland lake beach to suggest? I'm all ears!!