NewsLocal News

Actions

Several beaches under advisory due to algal blooms, bacteria levels

Posted at 4:23 PM, Jul 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-03 18:17:11-04

A warning for beach-goers this holiday: several beaches are open but under advisory. 

"If you have any health issues, as of right now, you may want to stay out of the water," said Tom Fink with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health.

Three popular beaches have advisories for elevated bacteria levels and algal blooms after recent testing: Villa Angela, Edgewater and Huntington.

It was 84 degrees and humid on the day before July Fourth, and News 5 found Edgewater beach crowded. There were lots of people were in the water, even with the yellows flags waving high in the air. The flags indicate algal blooms have been detected in the lake, and in some areas, E. Coli bacteria. 

RELATED: Track advisories and see the latest testing results of beaches and rivers around our area here.

"The toxin level was very minimal," Fink said. "It is pretty early in the season for this. It does happen from time to time, especially when we have those heavy rainstorms followed by those hot days...It's more just a precaution. We want to make sure the people who have a compromised immune system take some precaution."

They're testing for E. Coli daily and algae weekly when blooms are detected. 

This was Fink's message for beach-goers: "If they are going in the water, keep their heads above water; you don't want to ingest any of that into your system."

You can find more, and continuously updated, information from the Cuyahoga County Health Department here.