43
This week's E. coli tests at Lake Newport yield mixed results
YOUNGSTOWN
This week’s sampling of Lake Newport and Mill Creek for E. coli bacteria again yielded mixed findings, according to results released Thursday by the Mahoning County District Board of Health.
Samples drawn near the Lake Newport boathouse on West Newport Drive and the Lake Newport boat launch showed low counts of E. coli, while samples drawn near a footbridge over Mill Creek just north of Shields Road showed the highest levels recorded over the past five weeks.
“The testing of Lake Newport is in its fifth week of sampling with seven more weeks to continue. The data will be examined for any correlations as more information is collected over the entire 12 weeks,” said Ryan Tekac, environmental health director for the county health board, in a news release.
“The bridge samples that are located in the shallow headwaters, which receive less sunlight due to overhead vegetation, were significantly higher than the samples drawn at the other two locations on the lake. Temperatures have been cooler with an increase in rain since the previous week’s sampling,” Tekac said.
The county health board initiated the 12-week testing program after earlier testing found elevated E. coli levels in Lake Newport after a massive fish kill. The lake and all other Mill Creek MetroParks waterways have been closed since July 10.
Water samples collected this week from the boathouse area showed E. coli counts of 4, 2 and less than 1 colony forming units, respectively, per 100 milliliters of water, according to health board results.
Those compare with counts of 24.6, 19.5 and 14.6 last week; 162, 160 and 179 the previous week; 1, 1 and less than 1 from samples collected Aug. 4; and 1 and two readings of less than 1 the first week.
Samples collected near the footbridge showed E. coli counts well above 576, the threshold the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency considers to represent a potential public health risk. All three samples showed counts greater than 2,420.
Samples collected last week showed counts of 614, 1,050 and 817. Counts of 727, 548 and 435; 87, 98 and 142; and 101, 123 and 127 were recorded the previous weeks.
Counts from samples collected near the boat launch this week are 16, 20 and 14.
Last week’s counts were 20.1, 17.3 and 12. Counts of 115, 115 and 117; 8, 8 and 3; and 2, 2 and 1 previously were recorded.