Friday, August 21, 2015
YOUNGSTOWN
This week’s sampling of Lake Newport and Mill Creek for E. coli bacteria yielded mixed results.
Some counts were higher than in previous weeks and above the level the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency considers to be safe, while others were well below that threshold, according to data released Thursday by the Mahoning County District Board of Health.
“The testing of Lake Newport is in its fourth week of sampling with eight more weeks to continue. Correlations with the data will be examined as more information is collected over the entire 12 weeks,” said Ryan Tekac, environmental health director for the county health board, in a release.
“However, the fourth samples were drawn when weather conditions were slightly different than the third week of sampling. The temperatures were increased for the week, and there were periods of less cloud cover. The results at the boathouse and boat launch have decreased from last week, but the sampling location at the bridge has slightly increased. The bridge location also receives less sun exposure due to overhead vegetative growth,” he said.
Technicians have collected samples each week for the last four from the Lake Newport boathouse on West Newport Drive, a footbridge over Mill Creek just north of Shields Road and from an area near the Lake Newport boat launch.
The county health board initiated the 12-week testing program to establish a baseline E. coli level for Lake Newport after earlier tests found elevated levels of E. coli in the water. Those tests were conducted in response to a massive fish kill in the lake at the end of June.
Mill Creek MetroParks staff closed all park lakes to the public July 10 until further notice after that initial round of testing.
Water samples collected this week from near the boathouse showed E. coli counts of 24.6, 19.5 and 14.6 colony forming units, respectively, per 100 milliliters of water, according to health board results.
Those compare with counts of 162, 160 and 179 last week; 1, 1 and less 1 from samples collected Aug. 4; and 1 and two readings of less than 1 the first week.
Samples collected from near the footbridge showed E. coli counts of 614, 1050 and 817. Levels above 576 represent a potential public health risk, according to OEPA.
Those results compare with counts of 727, 548 and 435 last week; 87, 98 and 142 the previous week; and 101, 123 and 127 from samples collected July 29.
Counts from samples collected near the boat launch this week are: 20.1, 17.3 and 12.
Last week’s counts were 115, 115 and 117; Aug. 4 samples showed counts of 8, 8 and 3; and counts from the first week were 2, 2 and 1.