OREGON, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Health lifted a bacterial advisory in the waters of Maumee Bay State Park Wednesday, after officials found E. coli levels had returned to safe levels.
According to Beach Guard, an ODH web application monitoring public beaches in Ohio, a July 15 sample at Maumee Bay yielded 139.6 cfu/100ml (colony-forming units per 100 milliliters of water), and a July 17 sample returned with 148.3 cfu/100ml.
This sample is down from a July 10 sample that measured 2496.6 cfu/100ml, the highest level measured since 2024 sampling at the beach began in May - and the measurement that prompted the initial advisory.
EARLIER COVERAGE: Local advocates share concerns of E. coli levels on Erie beach
The Ottawa County Department of Health, the agency that conducts the tests, told WTOL 11 on July 12 that a beach is placed under an advisory when bacteria levels exceed 235 cfu/100ml. These levels typically follow a rain event when geese feces are washed into the water, a Lake Erie advocate explained.
Bacterial advisories differ from recreational public health advisories, which the ODH issues when Lake Erie's toxic algal blooms reach hazardous levels.
For more information on Lake Erie's water quality, check out the WTOL 11 Protecting Our Water coverage.
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