SYLVAN LAKE, Mich. (WXYZ) — Thursday morning more than a dozen beaches across the state of Michigan were closed as a result of unsafe E.coli levels.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy published a list of beach closures and advisories after water quality tests showed elevated levels of E. coli. The list included one beach in Macomb County, two beaches Up North, and 15 beaches in Oakland County.
Sylvan Lake off of Ferndale St. was one of the beaches closed Thursday morning. A yellow sign hung on a small tree near the beach's front entrance indicating swimming was prohibited at this time.
"There’s people everywhere, usually. There's a bunch of beaches on this neighborhood so this beach is always crowded," said Jack Esper who lives near Sylvan Lake. "It’s a really nice neighborhood. I usually come like once a day walking down here. The water is always nice. We take our dog swimming. She loves it."
Esper and other neighbors say they were unaware the beach was closed.
"Everyone is really connected and it’s the water that draws everyone. So, having the beaches closed is really going to hinder our social activities," said Janell Gilardone who lives near the lake. " I won’t be going in until we get it clear but I’m a bit surprised because they had a goose round up and they treat the water."
The beach at Sylvan Lake reopened late Thursday afternoon but others remained closed including the beachfront at Eagle Lake.
The Oakland County Health Division says swimming in the water could lead to gastrointestinal issues like stomach pain, bloody diarrhea, and kidney failure. It can also cause skin rash and ear, nose, and throat issues.
The health division is now monitoring the contaminated lakes with daily testing. Once the bacteria has dissipated and the water is cleared for safety, the health division will reopen each beach to swimmers.
"This week, with the amount of beaches closed, we believe it could be directly tied to the amount of rain we received on Sunday and into Monday. That amount of rain can scour the landscape around the lake and introduce a lot of contaminants just through runoff," said Oakland County Public Health Chief Mark Hansell.
Hansell says he expects the E.coli levels to dissipate over the next few days. Thursday afternoon several of the 18 beaches originally listed were reopened including the beach at Dodge Park and another at Keego Harbor.
"It could be as simple as how big the lake is, how deep the lake is, temperature, its exposure to sun and wind, natural currents of the lake. There are a number of different factors but most lakes clear up pretty quickly," said Hansell.
The Oakland County Health Division says they will be frequently updating the list of beach closures on their website. EGLE will also keep data on their website. A link to that can be foundhere.
