Bacteria levels in Mill Creek, Lake Newport higher

By JORDYN GRZELEWSKI

jgrzelewski@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Levels of E. coli bacteria measured this week in Mill Creek and Lake Newport were higher than in the previous two rounds of weekly testing, according to results released Thursday by the Mahoning County District Board of Health.

This marked the third week in a 12-week testing program conducted by the health board after earlier testing – done in response to a massive fish kill in Lake Newport at the end of June – found elevated levels of E. coli in Mill Creek MetroParks water.

The park staff closed lakes Newport, Glacier and Cohasset to the public July 10 until further notice. The fish kill and elevated bacteria levels, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency later determined, primarily were caused by combined city storm and sanitary sewer overflow discharges after heavy rainfall in late June.

Three water samples collected Wednesday at the Lake Newport boathouse on West Newport Drive showed E. coli counts of 162, 160 and 179 colony forming units, respectively, per 100 milliliters of water, according to health board results.

Those compare with counts of 1, 1 and less than 1 from samples collected Aug. 4; and 1 and two readings of less than 1 the previous week.

Samples collected this week from a footbridge over Mill Creek just north of Shields Road showed E. coli counts of 727, 548 and 435. Levels above 576 represent a potential public health risk, according to the Ohio EPA.

Those results are higher than in previous weeks; last week’s counts from that location were 87, 98 and 142. The results from samples collected July 29 were counts of 101, 123 and 127.

Testing of samples collected Wednesday from near the Lake Newport boat launch yielded counts of 115, 115 and 117.

Those counts also are higher than the previous two weeks, which yielded the following results: 8, 8 and 3 colony forming units; and 2, 2 and 1 the first week.

Although this week’s readings are higher – and one is above the public-health risk threshold – health board officials caution against drawing any conclusions about the park water’s baseline level of E. coli.

“The testing of Lake Newport is still in the beginning stages, and it’s too early to make any significant correlations with the data. However, the third samples were drawn when weather conditions were slightly different than the previous samples. There was minimal rainfall, cooler temperatures and periods of less sun,” said Ryan Tekac, environmental health director for the county health board, in a release.

In addition to weekly testing, the county health board also plans to collect and test water samples 24 to 48 hours after rain events.

This year’s testing is limited to Mill Creek and Lake Newport, but Tekac has said that the health board might expand the program to other park bodies of water in the future.