UPDATE: As of Sunday, July 26, 2020, the beach was cleared to reopen.

Yesterday we reported that Verona Beach State Park was open with an E.coli warning, but today, Friday, July 24, 2020, it's closed as it still exceeds acceptable levels of the bacteria.

parks.ny.gov/
parks.ny.gov/
loading...

New York State parks sample/test the water at local beaches once a week for bacterial indicators of impaired water quality. Freshwater samples are analyzed for Escherichia coli (E.coli). The parks.ny.gov website states that a result equal to or above 235 E.coli colonies/100 ml represents an exceedance of the state standard.

Verona Beach State Park failed their first water test on Tuesday, July 21, 2020, with a 380, but was left open with an E.coli warning. The water at the beach was tested again on Wednesday, July 22, 202, and it still exceeded the New York State guidelines for E.coli colonies with test results at 240, just above the acceptable threshold.

State Park beaches are closed when there is a known or anticipated risk to public health or safety. Closure decisions are based upon monitoring results in combination with other factors that influence water quality.

The causes of elevated bacteria counts are not always clear. They may be related to land uses in the watershed, to stormwater runoff from parking lots or from the beaches themselves, which might contain human or animal feces, decaying plant or animal material, naturally occurring sand or soil bacteria, or to other factors.

The CDC says E.coli are bacteria found in the environment, foods, and intestines of people and animals. E. coli are a large and diverse group of bacteria. Although most strains of E. coli are harmless, others can make you sick. Some kinds of E. coli can cause diarrhea, while others cause urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia, and other illnesses.

We have reached out to the NY Parks department and are waiting for a callback.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app


 

See the Must-Drive Roads in Every State

More From 96.9 WOUR