In recent years Great Lakes beaches have been closed, sometimesunnecessarily, because of concerns about bacteria. A researcher saysshe’s found a way to better predict when beaches need to be closed. TheGreat Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
Transcript
In recent years, Great Lakes beaches have been closed, sometimes
unnecessarily, because of concerns about bacteria. A researcher says she’s
found a way to better predict when beaches need to be closed. The Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports.
If water at the beach looks dirty, there’s a greater chance of E. coli
bacteria. That’s according to work done at Bio-check Laboratories at the
medical college of Ohio Advanced Technology Park. Researcher Nancy Hatfield
told the Toledo Blade that she’s found the majority of the time there’s a
correlation between murkiness and high bacteria counts. This research
complements separate studies by the U.S. geological survey. It’s found when
waves stir up sediment and sand, bacteria counts are usually higher.
Hatfield says she’ll encourage officials to get equipment that will measure
how murky the water is on a daily basis. Right now, officials say, bacteria
testing alone is not very satisfactory. The testing takes so long, often
beaches are open when there’s high risk of bacteria. And closed when the
risk is past. For the GLRC, this is Lester Graham.