The beach at Independence Oaks County Park’s Crooked Lake Beach was closed for one day last week after levels of the E coli bacterium were found to be above the allowed level.
Tuesday, July 27, the measurement was at 549 colonies per 100 milliliters of water. The allowable limit is 300. The beach reopened Wednesday, July 28 when the measurement reduced to 238 colonies per 100 milliliters.
‘It seems to be a little higher after a rain,? according to Brad Baker, assistant park supervisor at Independence Oaks. ‘We’re checked on a weekly basis all through the summer.?
Among other potential causes, E coli can be generated from undue amounts of animal feces washed into the water. Baker said the beach has had ‘an onslaught? of seagulls in the area because of the nearby DTE Energy Music Theater. The scavengers tend to naturally migrate to the beach area after concerts, he said.
One of the reasons beach closings are rare, Baker said, is because of an aerator and the park’s pumping of fresh water into the swimming area from ‘the big lake.?
The Green’s Lake beach at Bay Court Park was closed July 8 when the E coli level was measured at 326. It, too, was reopened a day later when levels were measured at only 21 colonies per 100 milliliters of water.
‘It’s very, very rare,? according to Kevin Breen, aquatics director for Independence Township Parks and Recreation, although he admits there has been a large water fowl level at Green’s Lake.
The Deer Lake beach is rarely affected, Breen said, because fresh water freely flows to and from the swimming area.
According to information from the Oakland County Health Division, water collection and beach surveying are done by environmental health students hired by the county for summer internships. As an indicator, if E coli is present, other, more harmful and harder to detect organisms could be present.
This year the county is monitoring 105 public and semipublic beaches on 63 different lakes.