WARREN DILLAWAY / Star Beacon
A FLOCK of seagulls flies over Big Bertha Thursday afternoon in Conneaut Harbor. Heavy rain has churned up bacteria, so health officials recommend staying out of the water for 24 hours.
Published July 02, 2009 11:01 pm - A dry holiday weekend will help knock down the bacteria levels churned up by this week’s non-stop rain at Lake Erie beaches, according to the Ohio Department of Health
No swimming — yet Heavy rains churn up bacteria levels, but lake will scrub itself clean soo
By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com Star Beacon
A dry holiday weekend will help knock down the bacteria levels churned up by this week’s non-stop rain at Lake Erie beaches, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Downpours have generated run-offs that helped raise bacteria levels at Ashtabula County’s four public beaches, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Aside from a spike Tuesday at Conneaut’s Township Park, none of the levels were high enough to warrant warning signs, according to the agency’s Web site.
The good news is Lake Erie can scrub itself in a matter of hours. Clear weather predicted this weekend means water will be safer than ever for swimmers and water buffs.
“We generally recommend no one swim (in the lake) within 24 hours of a heavy rain,” Kristopher Weiss, ODH spokesman, said Thursday.
The weekend’s forecast calls for partly cloudy skies — and not a drop of rain. That should mean people can splash all weekend without fear of extra germs.
The state samples water quality at beaches four times a week. Results are posted on the agency’s Web site or are available via phone at 1-866-644-6224.
The latest count showed levels at the four lake beaches jumped Tuesday — the same day rain began to arrive. The increase was relatively slight at Walnut Beach in Ashtabula, Lakeshore Park in Ashtabula Township and Geneva State Park, but quadrupled at Township Park.
The Tuesday numbers at Conneaut were high enough to merit recommended warning signs, the ODH Web site states. Cady Hutchinson, Conneaut’s environmental health inspector, said signs are periodically erected at the beach when counts are unusually high.
The state does not close beaches, Weiss said. Instead, they provide data that may encourage local health officials to place signs warning children, the elderly and people in poor health to stay out of the water.
The source of the bacteria is a mystery, Weiss said.
“We really don’t know what causes the levels to go up,” he said. “Runoffs could contain sediment or waste (that affects levels).”
The state routinely advises people to not swallow lake water and try to keep their heads and faces out of the water.
“(Lake Erie) is untreated surface water, not a swimming pool,” Weiss said. “There are simple things people can do to protect their health.”
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