COLUMBUS, Ohio – As central Ohioans endure a days-long warning about high nitrate levels in drinking water, news reports show more than two-dozen beaches across Ohio are contaminated with E. coli, ranking the state among the most-polluted in the nation.
READ MORE: In the Columbus Dispatch
As of Wednesday afternoon, 28 of Ohio’s 134 public beaches — most of them on Lake Erie — were under bacteria advisories, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Twenty-one of the beaches are at Lake Erie. In central Ohio, beaches at Buckeye Lake and Delaware Lake also had elevated E. coli levels.
A 2014 study by the advocacy group Natural Resources Defense Council ranked Ohio worst among the 30 coastal and Great Lakes states for the second year in a row. In July, bacteria warnings were affecting as many as 30 beaches across the state.
DISPATCH: Nitrate warnings could last several days
“Whether you’re the worst in the country or third or fourth worst, there is clearly a problem,” said Josh Mogerman, a spokesman for the defense council. “We’ve got a lot of bacteria in the water.”
Advisories are issued in Ohio when E. coli levels pass 235 colonies per 100 milliliters of water, a threshold set by the federal government. Water-quality advisories are posted on the beaches. The signs say children, elderly people and people in ill health should not swim.
Other states, including Illinois, Vermont and Missouri, typically close beaches when E. coli levels pass 235 colonies per 100 milliliters of water.
Sewage overflows, failing home septic systems and feces from geese and gulls contribute to E. coli problems. If ingested, the bacteria can cause gastrointestinal distress, such as diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps. The bacteria in Lake Erie come largely from untreated human waste, said Kristy Meyer, managing director of clean-water programs with the advocacy group Ohio Environmental Council.