Hennepin County officials have closed a dozen beaches and placed many others under advisory, mainly due to E. coli levels.
Hennepin County Health and Human Services and the Three Rivers Park district monitor beaches in the county once a week, testing the waters for unsafe bacteria.
The most recent data reports that 10 beaches were closed and six were under advisory. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board also announced that both beaches on Lake Nokomis were closed due to unsafe levels of algae.
Many were closed due to E. coli, a bacteria that, in high concentrations, can cause flu-like symptoms and illness. Too much E. coli often enters lake water after rainfall pushes goose feces and other bacteria into swimming areas.
High E. coli levels shut down four beaches in Minneapolis last year and a record of six beaches in 2019. The bacteria sickened 49 people that year.
Yet the closures come before a weekend forecast of sunshine in the Twin Cities, thunderstorms in northern Minnesota and high levels of humidity driven by in part by “corn sweat”.
Amy Zagar, a supervising environmentalist with Hennepin County Public Health, said seasonal heat often lead to high levels of bacteria. Those beaches could reopen, if bacteria levels reduce, when officials test the waters again on Monday.
“There are a lot of factors that can affect how quickly levels of E. coli return to safer levels, including animal and waterfowl activity on beaches and additional heavy rains. Sustained high temperatures also may have an effect on E. coli levels, keeping levels higher,” Zagar said, warning that the bacteria can sicken animals, too.
