WINONA LAKE – A two-year study by a local water research center finds that Pike and Center lakes in Warsaw are problematic with, at times, unsafe E. coli levels.
Kosciusko Lakes and Streams at Grace College, with funding from the K21 Health Foundation, private donors, and Grace College, conducted a two-year research study on those health threats.
Dr. Nate Bosch is the lead researcher on the study and also the director of KLAS.
According to Bosch, “This study is a great opportunity for Grace College to conduct research and educate the public about important lake-related concerns in our county.”
E. coli is a bacterium that has been monitored in seven lakes with public swimming beaches by the Kosciusko County Health Department since 1995 due to its role in several human diseases.
KLAS analyzed historical data collected by the health department and found that the Pike and Center Lake swimming areas were shown to have unsafe E. coli levels in 41 percent and 32 percent of samples collected, respectively.
This confirms the importance of the health department sampling efforts to protect human health by warning the public when E. coli levels are unsafe at local beaches.
Microcystin has been given more recent notoriety as a toxin produced by several types of blue-green algae which can cause skin irritation and even lead to liver damage when swallowed.
Monthly microcystin sampling by KLAS in 2010 and 2011 showed that only four of the 44 lakes sampled did not have detectable levels of microcystin during the study.
Of the 40 lakes that had measurable microcystin levels during the study, there were 14 lakes that had elevated microcystin levels at some point in the two-year study.
KLAS found some promising results with predicting microcystin levels and potentially reducing these levels in the future, but these relationships were inconsistent among some lakes and will require further study.
Both E. coli and microcystin levels were highest during summer months which coincide with increased recreational use of the lakes, allowing for elevated exposure threats.
New public notification systems were implemented for both E. coli and microcystin as part of this study to help alert residents and tourists in Kosciusko County.
KLAS will continue to encourage monitoring and public notification systems as well as continue to study blue-green algae in an effort to improve health safety related to E. coli and microcystin in the future.
The president and CEO of the K21 Health Foundation, Rich Haddad, stated that “We are excited to invest in the future health of residents in Kosciusko County by funding part of this research study.”
Bosch said that he and county health administrator Bob Weaver have discussed the issue of Pike and Center lakes.
“We both share this concern and have been discussing ways we might work together to solve this health problem,” said Bosch.
“I would say it’s a very fluid situation,” said Weaver. “One day you can test it and its over the state limit and the next day its OK.”
Weaver said one of the biggest factors is runoff after a big rain. “Five to 10 hours after a rain event you will get higher rain levels and then it will be gone.”
“That’s why we test the beaches every week,” said Weaver.
The Kosciusko County health department has a certified lab so testing can be done each day.
For example, if two samples are found to have higher levels of E coli on a beach, the department will close the beach but do testing throughout the week to make sure the beach is safe again.
Other counties may have to send out samples and wait a week before a beach can reopen.
KLAS is a center for water research, education and collaboration at Grace College.
To access a technical report of this study which includes information about notification systems, go to www.water.grace.edu
Follow staff writer Daniel Riordan on Twitter at @TUNews_Riordan
