The bacteria levels in Echo Park Lake have been found to be high, and the city has been advised to restrict access to the water.
Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles, California has been found to have high levels of E. Coli bacteria. The lake is located near the Grand Central Market and the L.A. River.
(CBSLA) — ECHO PARK (CBSLA) — People are once again enjoying themselves on the swan boats and getting wet beneath the Echo Park Lake fountain, but is it safe?
Echo Park Lake has high levels of E. coli germs, according to a David Goldstein study. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images/Michael Tullberg) )
Hundreds of unhoused people were evacuated from the park in March before it was closed for renovations and cleaning by the Los Angeles Police Department. The campsite had expanded throughout the epidemic, and the lake was often used as a toilet due to a lack of bathroom facilities in the park.
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Bottles and bags of human garbage were recovered from the lake, according to a municipal report acquired by. According to the report, “certainly some” of the substance escaped detection and “became dissolved into the water.”
Echo Park Lake reopened two months following its spring shutdown, with a full complement of boaters and anglers visiting the lake on a regular basis. Workers from the city even cleared weeds from the lake.
The water quality of the lake was excellent, according to Shahram Kharaghani, acting assistant general manager of L.A. Sanitation and Environment, but he acknowledged that the city does not regularly test for germs.
E. coli, a bacterium prevalent in human feces, was examined in water samples obtained by a licensed lab. E. coli levels in one sample were more than seven times higher than the state’s water quality guideline.
Dr. Samuel Dorevitch, an associate professor of health sciences, stated, “Yes, those figures are high.” “If it were a swimming beach, those numbers would be a red sign indicating that swimming is prohibited.”
People come into touch with the water from the fountain or when fishing, despite the fact that swimming is prohibited in Echo Park Lake.
“I wouldn’t claim there’s zero danger if individuals are paddling and passing by a fountain that is spewing aerosol of that water,” Dorevitch added. “I believe there is a risk.”
Luis Guerra, for example, eats the fish he catches in the lake on occasion.
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Dr. Marc Kerner, on the other hand, warned that people should “absolutely not” consume the lake’s fish, and that individuals who come into touch with the water may have bowel infections or other issues.
“If they do come into touch with the water, they should vigorously wash their hands thereafter and attempt to prevent as much contact as possible,” he added.
Multiple rounds of testing over a four- to six-week period are required by state water quality requirements, yet each cycle is only tested once. The city has now altered its tune after first claiming that the water quality was excellent.
“The water would not be safe to drink,” Kharaghani added. “No, swimming in the water is not safe.”
He also advised people to avoid touching the water and subsequently touching their faces, as well as eating fish caught in the lake.
While Kharaghani urged that the park remain open, he suggested that additional signs advising visitors not to come into touch with the water be placed.
Boaters like Denise Amiel, who talked with us after getting off a swan boat with her pals, approved with the move.
“We’re going to take a shower and wash off, and I hope everything is OK, but I believe it’s important to know,” she added. “The public has a right to know.”
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The city said it would begin testing for bacteria counts and E. coli in the water on a regular basis and would post signs alerting residents to possible issues.
