Mahoning County health board makes changes to Lake Newport testing

YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County District Board of Health has tweaked its 12-week E. coli testing program at Lake Newport.

The health board has expanded the number of sites throughout Mill Creek MetroParks that it will test on a weekly basis. Health board technicians have so far been collecting three samples each from the same three testing sites, which have yielded fairly consistent results over the program’s first seven weeks.

The health board started the testing program after previous testing done in response to a massive fish kill in the lake found elevated levels of E. coli.

Mill Creek MetroParks closed Mill Creek Park's lakes Newport, Glacier and Cohasset to the public July 10.

The health board conducted additional testing last week to supplement the usual testing, in an attempt to determine why one sample location has consistently had elevated E. coli counts.

The health board also collected samples at an expanded number of sites Monday after a rain event.

Samples also were collected today for the regular round of weekly testing, and those results are expected to be released Thursday.

For the complete story, read Thursday's Vindicator and Vindy.com