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Community Corner

Southwest Lakes Not Impacted By Recent E. Coli Alert

Lake Hiawatha beaches closed.

Worry not, Southwest Minneapolitans. Despite the closure of South Minneapolis's Lake Hiawatha due to heightened levels of E. Coli, Lakes Calhoun and Harriet are still safe for swiming, according to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

No illnesses caused by Hiawatha's bacteria levels have been reported, the Park Board said.

The bacteria counts, which officials say are used as a proxy measurement for water quality, have prompted the closure of Hiawatha's beaches until tests show the water is less polluted. While Lake Calhoun's beaches were briefly closed earlier this month due to the same set of tests, Park Board water-quality specialist Rachel Crabb said that was much more rare to see either of Southwest's lakes close.

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While Minneapolis has separate sewage lines and storm sewers, which reduces the amount of waste that is poured into lakes and rivers during each storm, even normal rain runoff contains E. Coli.

"Urban stormwater has high bacteria levels from dog and animal waste," Crabb said.

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Lake Hiawatha closes frequently, she said, because the entire Minnehaha Creek feeds into the lake, giving it a watershed of about 100,000 acres. By comparison, Lake Calhoun's watershed is just under 3,000 acres. 

But if Minnehaha Creek is the chief culprit in Lake Hiawatha's closures, does that mean it is safe to let your pet or child play in its waters?

"If you're going to be wading in the creek, you should wait 24 to 48 hours after a large storm event, to wait for the stormwater to wash through," Crabb said.

Crabb noted that there has never been a confirmed outbreak of a waterborne illness at any of the Minneapolis beaches, and that the most common way for people to become ill at the beach is fromperson-to-person contact.

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