High bacteria levels detected upstream from Lake Newport
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - New details have been released about the latest round of testing for E. coli in Mill Creek MetroPark's Lake Newport.
The latest test results of E. coli in Mill Creek show high levels in Lake Newport and two points that feed into the watershed- Anderson Run and Old Calla Road.
"Any time during a rain event you get a scouring of your streams. They're going to wash streams out if there's farm land back there or failed septic systems. It's going to wash that E. Coli down into those streams and down into the watershed," said Ryan Tekac, Director of Environmental Health for the Mahoning County District Board of Health.
The Old Calla Road site is a rural area south of Western Reserve Road near the Mill Creek Wildlife Sanctuary.
On Sept. 21 the highest sample was taken from Anderson Run. This test read 1230 per 100 milliliters of water and the EPA considers levels above 576 as unfit for recreational use. The next highest sample was 940 on Old Calla Road. The third site with high levels is the boat launch with a reading of 593.
The Board of Health has expanded its testing sites to streams south of Lake Newport after high levels were showing up there.
"Anderson Run is a new testing point. There's an area that there's septic systems. We don't know if they're failing but we want to consistently test over there over the testing period we have left, until the end of October, and then kind of make a determination from there," explained Tekac.
Tekac said that they're waiting to see if the levels will still be high when it's dry and then they'll want to know what's feeding the lakes. Another possible source of the E.coli is wildlife.
The EPA has said the Mill Creek watershed is the larger issue along with Youngstown's combined sanitary and storm sewer system.
During an informational meeting on the watersheds in Mahoning County Wednesday, officials offered ways to prevent polluting the water in general.
Stephanie Dyer of the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments suggests "Using fertilizers according to the standards that are on the bags when you buy them. Cleaning up anything that's organic along the streets such as your grass clippings, your leaves, things that are even organic like that can help degrade water quality."
