SEATTLE — Three popular beaches in King County are currently closed due to high levels of bacteria and toxic algae.
Greenlake’s East Beach and Juanita Beach in Kirkland were tested with high levels of bacteria this week.
Marcel Lake has toxic algae, which, according to the King County Department of Public Health, has had this issue for weeks.
Signs were posted at each beach to warn the public if they hadn’t checked online.
“I was like, oh man. Really? But then I was kind of like, eh gross. What’s in it?” Nikki, who is visiting from Arizona, said.
KIRO7 spoke with the Department of Public Health’s Lead Beach Safety and Sewage Monitoring expert, Jun Naotsuka, about the beach closures.
He says the types of bacteria they look for when testing weekly is E. coli.
When it comes to the high levels of bacteria in Greenlake’s East Beach and Juanita Beach, it stems from fecal matter.
“Not necessarily the kind of bacteria that make people sick, but it’s an indication of fecal pollution. Meaning poop is in the water,” Naotsuka said. “But we don’t know whose poop it is. It could be human poop or it could be animal poop,” he continued.
Naotsuka says that, for the most part, the risk of illness isn’t very high for most people, but people who are immunocompromised could get very sick.
He also states that if people stay in waters with high levels of bacteria for too long, they can experience some harsh symptoms afterwards, like nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps.
“Because you are ingesting water with bacteria, virus, or some kind of parasite that can make you sick in your stomach or intestines,” he said.
Naotsuka does note that there are ways people can help reduce bacterial levels.
He suggested not feeding ducks and geese that frequent our beaches, as well as good hygiene prior to getting in the water.
“But one thing people can do for sure is to take a shower before they go into the water because people carry fecal materials on their bodies naturally,” Naotsuka said.
For more information on what beaches and bodies of water are safe to swim in, click here.
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