Latest news with #Ecoli
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
‘Poor' water quality detected at 2 local beaches due to predicted E. coli levels
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Poor water quality has been detected at two Northeast Ohio beaches Saturday, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District said, meaning it's best to stay out of the water. Not that it's great swimming weather this weekend anyways, but just beware. The affected beaches include Edgewater Beach and Villa Angela Beach. Northeast Ohio businessman fulfills dream of going to space The predicted E. coli concentration for Edgewater Beach is 139 MPN/100mL. The threshold is 80 MPN/100mL . The predicted E. coli concentration for Villa Angela Beach is 301 MPN/100mL. The threshold is 135 MPN/100mL 'Poor water quality predictions due to potentially harmful algae indicate that cyanobacterial species capable of producing toxins were found to be present at the time of sample collection. Beach postings will be updated by Cleveland Metroparks based on toxin concentration results,' the NEORSD said. It's so cold Cedar Point Shores waterpark isn't opening this Saturday either Additionally, the National Weather Service warned residents about dangerous swimming conditions Saturday along the lakefront from Erie County, Ohio to Erie County Pennsylvania. NWS Cleveland posted on X Saturday morning about the threat of dangerous swimming conditions due to a high risk of rip currents along with the potential for dangerous wave heights. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Popular beach plagued with E. coli is closed AGAIN after unsafe bacteria found in water
A troubled beach in Michigan is closed once again after scientists detected an unhealthy level of E. coli in the water. St. Clair Shores Memorial Beach Park Beach, which sits on Lake St. Clair in Macomb County, has been shuttered to the public since May 21 due to high bacteria levels from an unknown source, MLive reported. Officials with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy last took samples of the water on Thursday. This particular beach is frequently closed due to bacterial contaminations. Officials had to close it seven separate times last summer alone. The longest stretch of time residents weren't allowed to set foot in the water was from late June to late July 2024, when the beach was closed for 26 days. The Macomb County Health Department previously told WXYZ-TV that the shape of the beach is why pollution collects in its waters. That Detroit-based television station interviewed frustrated residents in July 2024, many of whom pointed out that the beach was closed more often than it was open. 'We come here all the time. We don't like it that the beach is not open. It used to be a long time ago, but I don't know why it's not anymore,' Lori Nowicki said. 'Everyone wants to swim here, but they can't because of the pollution,' Ruth Higgins said. Nancy Kilanowski admitted that she doesn't go to Lake St. Clair often, but said she's 'never seen the beach open'. Residents said the area has a staggering number of geese, which experts have said could be the source of the routine contamination of Lake St. Clair. Feces from geese, seagulls, ducks, dogs and deer are the sources of the elevated bacteria levels, said Tom Barnes, the division director of Macomb County's Environmental Health Services. Barnes said rain and wind pushes the fecal matter in the water. If it lingers long enough, contamination problems become a real concern and lead to the closures. Barnes said treating the water isn't a viable solution, rather suggesting raking the beach, moving the geese population elsewhere and keeping trash cans covered. 'As far as treatment of the water goes, I don't see anybody doing any additives or doing anything like that to it. That hasn't come up and just generally with good beach maintenance practices, you can generally get ahead of it pretty well,' he said.
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
WECHU launches 2025 beach water quality testing program
All beaches are open as the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit launches the 2025 beach water quality testing program at eight local beaches. On Wednesday May 28, beach water samples were taken by Public Health Inspectors from Sandpoint Beach, Lakeshore Lakeview Park West Beach, Point Pelee Northwest Beach, Seacliff Park Beach, Cedar Island Beach, Cedar Beach, Colchester Beach, and Holiday Beach. The results determined all beaches are samples are sent to the public health lab in London, Ontario for E. coli bacteria count analysis. This season's sampling results are posted on and available by calling the beach hotline at 519-258-2146, extension 1490. Follow the Health Unit Facebook and Twitter pages for notification of beach warnings and beaches must post a warning or a closure sign if the beach results show higher than acceptable levels of E. coli bacteria. The public should also avoid swimming after a heavy rainfall as pollution in beach water is often much higher during and right after rainstorms. New Predictive Modeling Program WECHU has also launched a new predictive modeling program at five participating beaches. 'The predictive model provides community access to timely estimations of what the water quality results may be and will be used to supplement our weekly beach monitoring. This enhanced beach monitoring program can help residents make an informed decision on whether to use participating public beaches for swimming' says Jenny Tan, WECHU environmental health manager.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
3 gastroenteritis cases at Hong Kong hospital unrelated, investigation finds
A trio of suspected gastroenteritis cases at a Hong Kong hospital earlier this year, in which the death of a young doctor prompted concerns of an outbreak of a highly toxic strain of E coli, were unrelated, health authorities have found. The Centre for Health Protection also said in revealing the outcome of its investigation on Friday that the young oncologist who died had traces of a certain kind of rotavirus, rather than the previously thought Shiga toxin-producing E coli (STEC), but that his cause of death was 'uncertain'. An expert from the investigating team suggested it was the first time that a particular strain of the rotavirus had been detected in Hong Kong, but there was no evidence of a community outbreak. The death of the young doctor at Princess Margaret Hospital in February prompted concerns that an outbreak of the toxic strain had emerged after it was found in the stool sample of one of the doctors who suffered milder symptoms. 'Based on the available information, the [centre] confirmed that there was no STEC outbreak in the oncology department of [the hospital] and that there was no linkage between the illnesses of the three doctors,' it said. The investigation, which included an expert team from the department of microbiology at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), found that a stool sample of the doctor who was suspected of having a STEC infection did not grow 'viable' bacteria of the infectious strain.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
Resident Has To Travel To Cemetery For Safe Drinking Water
Lal Mulligan wants water she can drink from her tap. At the moment she travels from her home on Keenans Road in north-east Ashburton to the cemetery with plastic containers to source water from the treated town supply. Mulligan, who is concerned around high nitrates and E coli in her private bore supply, has been calling on the Ashburton District Council to extend drinking and wastewater pipes to the north-east - home to about 100 households - for years. Mulligan accused the council of turning their backs on the North-East community, asking "where's our water" when she presented her submission on the 2024-34 long-term plan submission. Now the council has come knocking. Council infrastructure and open spaces group manager Neil McCann said the detailed design for a drinking water network in the whole of the northeast area had been done. Extensions will be carried out in increments, and only if there is landowner support, he said. The council would start with consulting the landowners in the Keenans Road-Company Road-Seafield Road block on connecting to the town supply. The letter to residents showed the cost to get the water piped to the property boundary is $12,518 - it is then up to each property to pay to connect from the boundary to their house. It is a price Mulligan is willing to pay, and she hopes it gets enough support to convince the council to proceed with the extension. Her only criticism was the council's consultation letter fails to explain the reason for the extension which is to "give residents safe potable water". "The water quality is so bad that we need to connect." The north-east of Ashburton has historic water quality issues, being high in nitrates and E coli, Mulligan said. "It's been contaminated from a long way back." Her water is tested monthly, paid for by AMP, and the results "are appalling", she said. The nitrate levels fluctuate from around 8 to 10.8mg/L and have been as high as 15mg/L - the maximum acceptable value for nitrate in drinking water is 11.3mg/L. E coli is a constant presence as well, she said. "You can boil the water to get rid of E coli but then you concentrate the nitrates. "Five years ago, I put in a deeper bore thinking my water would improve - nope. "I don't drink it ever." Up the road from Mulligan is probably one of the biggest landholders in the area - the Celtic Rugby Club. President Pete Gowans said the club had received the council letter offering the opportunity to connect to the town supply. "We'd be silly not to," he said. "We have systems in place for drinking water, so we don't have any issues." He said the club had a filtration system on the pump from its private bore supply, while most visiting teams brought their own filled water bottles. If the club has to stump up the cash to connect to the town supply it would be worth it, he said. "It will be to the benefit of everyone out there. "The area is growing with a lot of lifestyle blocks all subdivided up so there are a lot more people out here than there were 15 years ago." The council consulted on a reticulated water scheme for the North East area in late 2000, with the cost of the scheme estimated at that time at $1.7 million. The was insufficient support, around 12 percent, to justify proceeding with the project. As part of that consultation, the council had also asked about investigating a reticulated wastewater service. It faired better with 28 percent support, but still too low to justify progressing. In 2022/23, the council budgeted for an investigation into extending wastewater service to Residential D zoned land around Ashburton and to carry out detailed design for water supply in the north east. That work has been completed up to the design phase. Now the first tranche of north east landowners have the opportunity to convince the council to proceed with the extension. If the extension goes ahead and a property owner does not wish to connect, those properties may still incur a water supply charge through their rates (set at $409 in 2025/26). After paying the estimated $12,518 to connect, and the additional cost of connecting it from the boundary, the properties will receive the targeted water rate for a connected property ($817 in 2025/26). McCann said the council was also looking into a wastewater servicing project for the north-east area but "is only in its initial concept stage and council has made no commitment at this point to providing the service". At the council's Three Waters Services Committee meeting last month, the two projects were discussed and assets manager Andy Guthrie said the wastewater extension would "certainly open up opportunity for development that doesn't currently exist". McCann said ECan's position on new discharge consents in the area has "likely stalled some development".
