SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — E. coli levels in the waters of Oneida Shores Beach were higher than usual earlier this week during a bimonthly water test.
“The result came back quite a bit higher than what the state says is an acceptable level for E. coli in the water,” said Jeff Till, director of the Bureau of Public Health Engineering at the Onondaga County Health Department. “At that point we made the decision to close the beach based on that sample result,” Till added.
As a result of the closure, Jamesville Beach opened for beachgoers today at noon.
“Because we knew that Jamesville Beach was a backup plan in case something like this had happened, we continued to sample and inspect Jamesville Beach to make sure that it would be ready to go in case the situation did occur,” said Till.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “some kinds of E. coli can cause diarrhea, while others cause urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia, and other illnesses.”
According to Till, E. coli is found more often at beaches that have certain environmental conditions. The first is a large Canada geese population with higher amounts of goose droppings as a result. The second is strong winds from a certain direction that can drive contaminants into the water.
Oneida Shores Beach may also be more susceptible to E.coli than Jamesville Beach due to the size of Oneida Lake and it’s watershed, as well as other factors.
“The water coming into that area (Oneida Shores Beach) certainly could be different than a smaller one such as the Jamesville reservoir,” said Till. “There could be more stagnant water in Oneida shores. The water at Jamesville Beach tends to flow from south to north pretty well.”
Bathing beaches are tested and inspected frequently to ensure that bacteria levels in the water are safe for swimming, especially during heat waves like the one currently driving up temperatures throughout the region.
The Onondaga County Health Department has been monitoring Jamesville Beach to ensure water levels are safe for swimming in case an issue like this arose. The Health Department also coordinates with the Onondaga County Parks Department to make sure lifeguards and other precautions are relocated to a new swimming area when necessary.
It was due to a shortage of qualified lifeguards that originally closed Jamesville Beach for the season in the first place.
Liz Casazza has been an avid beachgoer at Jamesville Beach for decades and is disappointed that Jamesville Beach had been closed in the first place, especially because of a lifeguard shortage.
“They need to advertise in lots of places, and they need to pay lifeguards more money,” said Casazza as she explained how important a lifeguard’s role is at any beach.
“Working for minimum wage here doing life-saving work, potentially, for minimum wage, is not the way to attract hardworking, dedicated people,” she added.
Casazza enjoys Jamesville beach because it is convenient and has a lot to offer for families.
“I like it because they have a play park here associated with the beach, so it makes it easy for my granddaughter and my daughter to run over here and play for a little while and go back to the beach, it’s a nice big park,” she said.
Unfortunately for Casazza, today is the only day she and her family will be able to enjoy Jamesville Beach.
According to a late-afternoon tweet from the Onondaga County Parks Twitter page, the Oneida Shores Beach will open for swimming again on Thursday and Jamesville Beach will be closed to swimmers once again.
