Sign-up for 2026 Higgins Lake Swimmer's Itch Case Rate Study

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Our online water exposure report forms are easy to complete (2 minutes). If you file a report and we have a question about it, may we contact you by text? If 'yes', indicate phone number in the next question. 'No' will mean we will contact you by email. We have only had to do this a handful of times over the last 4 years.

You will be emailed the link or the paper form after you sign up.

No, contact me by email only.

Yes, you can contact me by phone (enter number below)

Phone (If you said yes above)

Please indicate which form you wish to use.
*

I prefer the paper form; please send me a pdf of the form for me to print.

I prefer the online form; please send me the link to the online form

What is the primary address at which you will be in the water? This will be your home address in most cases, and having it on file here will allow you to avoid typing it in each time. The report form will also have choices for other swimming locations for quick selection if you would happen to use those (e.g., state parks). *

Please choose a 4-digit PIN that will be used to identify your reports. This will make filing a report faster by skipping your name, address, and contact information. A copy of your responses to this form will be automatically emailed to you, which you should keep so you know your PIN! (If you by chance choose a PIN already selected by someone else, we'll contact you). *

Swimmer's Itch Case Rate Study Information and Informed Consent Form

Study Information. The goal of this project is to use simple online reporting of water use and any resulting SI to determine the rate of SI per water use. We seek to make it convenient for lakeside resident volunteers to report water usage and whether they and any in their party contracted swimmer’s itch as a result. The study is funded by the Higgins Lake Swimmer’s Itch Organization (HLSIO) and has generated excellent and useful data.

Please read the study participation risks and the informed consent form below, and sign the form if you are willing to participate.

Risks to participation in this study. There is little risk in participation besides having to disclose that you or household member have experienced SI. All data will be anonymized before analysis. You are not expected to alter your swimming behaviors or time in the water for this study. Simply use the lake as you would normally. The only difference is that you will take 1-2 minutes each time someone in your household uses the lake and you will record whether or not they got swimmer’s itch.

If you have questions at any time about this study, you should feel free to contact Dr. Randy DeJong of Calvin University by email at rdejong@calvin.edu or by phone at 616.617.7090.

You have the right to withdraw from this study at any time. To do so, simply contact the investigator as indicated above.

To ensure your rights as a research participant have been safeguarded, this study and this form have been reviewed by the Calvin University Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Signature of informed consent. By signing below, I agree to be a part of this study during which I will complete an online form for each day a member or a guest of my household enters the water of Higgins Lake.

I understand that I may not receive any direct benefits from participation in this research, other than contributing to knowledge about swimmer’s itch at Higgins Lake and the effectiveness of control. Others may benefit from the same.

I understand that I will provide my name, address, and contact info at this sign-up, but that selection of a 4-digit PIN will allow me to enter all my reports quickly and without including my name. I understand that all data will be anonymized before analysis and I consent to the data being used in reports to the lake association and/or in a published scientific paper. All identifying data will be destroyed after the analysis is complete.

I have read the information provided above: 1) Study Information and Risks, and 2) this Informed Consent Form.

I understand that I have the right to withdraw from this study at any time. To do so, simply contact the investigator: Dr. Randy DeJong of Calvin University by email at rdejong@calvin.edu.

By signing my name below, I am indicating my intent to participate and my informed consent to the use of the resulting data.

A copy of your responses will be emailed to the address you provided.

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