E. coli levels in Lake Newport down from tests done earlier this week

YOUNGSTOWN

Test results from Lake Newport and other Mill Creek MetroParks waterways, released Friday by the Mahoning County District Board of Health, show elevated E. coli levels at some testing locations.

Samples collected near a walking trail off of U.S. Route 224 near the golf course and the Anderson Run inlet showed counts that are higher than what the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency considers to be a potential public-health risk.

Samples collected from seven other sites showed counts that were below the threshold. Testing conducted early this week after a rain event showed high E. coli counts at each of the nine sampling sites.

“The collection on Wednesday was for the normal weekly sampling and the levels of E. coli have declined following Monday’s sampling, which took place 48 hours after a rainfall event. The testing program will continue through the week of October 12, 2015, and the results will then be examined in order to look for potential problem areas as well as trends or relationships between weather and the levels of E. coli in Lake Newport,” said Ryan Tekac, environmental health director for the county health board, in a statement.

Mill Creek MetroParks waterways have been closed since July after earlier testing found elevated E. coli levels.