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Mill Creek Park E. coli levels change little
YOUNGSTOWN
E. coli bacteria counts this week were very similar to those of last week as the Mahoning County Board of Health reached the midpoint of its 12-week testing program in Lake Newport and Mill Creek.
The health board, which is conducting the water sampling and testing for the Mill Creek MetroParks, announced results Thursday from samples collected Wednesday in the sixth week of its testing program.
This week, the health board reported E. coli counts of greater than 2,420 per 100 milliliters of water in all three samples taken at the footbridge over Mill Creek just north of Shields Road.
All three readings taken there last week also exceeded 2,420.
This heavily wooded and shaded location along the shallow creek has been yielding the highest E. coli counts in recent weeks among the three sampling locations.
An E. coli count of 576 is the threshold the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency considers a potential public health risk.
E. coli are found in the feces of humans and other mammals.
This week’s results from the Lake Newport boat rental house are 3, 5, and 8.
This compares to readings of 4, 2, and less than 1 colony-orming unit at that location last week.
Results announced Thursday from the East Newport Boat Launch were 16, 17 and 21.
This compares with readings of 14, 16 and 20 at that location last week.
The E. coli readings at the boat rental house and East Newport Boat Launch, which are in a sunny area of Lake Newport, have been much lower than the readings upstream at the footbridge in this series of tests.
County Health Commissioner Patricia Sweeney said sunlight helps to kill the bacteria.
The county board of health initiated the 12-week testing program after its earlier tests found elevated E. coli levels in Lake Newport after a massive fish kill there.
The Ohio EPA attributed the fish kill primarily to combined storm and sanitary sewer overflow discharges following heavy late June rains.
Based on the initial county health board test results, MetroParks officials indefinitely closed Mill Creek Park’s lakes Newport, Cohasset and Glacier to all recreational uses on July 10.
The 12-week testing program will end next month.