AND TRIBUTARY
BACTERIAL
WATER QXJALITY
DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR
Federal Water Pollution Control Administration
Great Lakes Region june 1%9
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OOOR69015
LAK.1 ERIE D/'THiNG B^ACH AND TRIBUTARY
BACTERIAL WATER QUAUTY - -Ju.'-.E i 969
,'„''•" " "' ' J
&30 South ' ••
',o, Illinois
'CMT OF THE INTERIOR
FEDERAL WATER POLLUTK: COXTRO,. ADMINISTRATION
GREAT LA;\ES REGION
LAKE ERIE DASiN CFFiCE
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LAKE ERIE BATHING BEACH AND TRIBUTARY
BACTERIAL WATER QUALITY - JUNE 1969
Bacterial water quality Information for the Lake Erie basin waters
has been characteristically Inadequate for more than cursory evalua-
tions. The gathering of data has been Improving In recent years and
continues to show Improvement by both state and federal agencies. Be-
cause of the general paucity of historical data It is difficult, If not
Impossible, to comment with certainty on trends In bacterial water
quality. However, from the existing Information a base picture of bac-
terial conditions Is emerging with which to compare future conditions.
This summary includes data gathered during the summers of 1967,
1968, and 1969 at Lake Erie beaches and also limited tributary data
gathered In June 1969.
Comparison of beach water quality data for the three years (Tables
I and 2) shows In general no significant differences In bacterial qual-
ity. Figure I, depicting general water quality In the summer of 1967
at most public beaches, appears to be true also at the present, June
1969. Although 1969 data will undoubtedly add to the precision In de-
scribing beach water quality, there Is little reason to expect that the
conditions shown on Figure I will change significantly. Conditions at
beaches within larger municipalities, especially In larger cities, are
worse than elsewhere. The Cleveland beaches, without exception, are
outstandingly unsafe bacterially (Tables 2 and 3).
The presence of fecal coliforms and the ratios of fecal coliforms
to fecal streptococci, (see Tables I and 3) generally exceeding 2 to I,
indicate that the source of bacteria Is, more often than not, domestic
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sewage. The expected sources are combined sewer overflows and sewage
treatment plant effluents. Pathogen data are not yet available for
1969, but 1964 analyses revealed no SaI mono I I a at nny of the beaches
tested In 1964.
Bacterial data gathered thus far in 1969 within the lower reaches
of tributaries (Table I) are showing generally expected results. The
most polluted tributaries, as they were in 1964 (Lake Erie Environmental
Summary, 1963-1964, FWPCA) are the Cuyahoga, Grand, Rocky, Maumee, and
Buffalo Rivers. The Ashtabula and Black Rivers are not far behind. None
of the 15 tributaries tested thus far would indicate safety for body
contact uses. All appear to be contaminated by domestic sewage. Salmon-
el la were isolated in 1964 from samples of most tributaries. Pathogen
data for 1969 are not yet available.
Coliform data gathered within the lake in 1963 and 1964 (Lake Erie
Environmental Summary, 1963-1964, FWPCA) showed that nearshore areas were
generally more contaminated than midlake waters and that bacterial numbers
dropped off rapidly to acceptable values at distances of one-half mile or
less from shore. Data now being gathered (since Mnrch 1968) at south
shore municipal water intakes in general confirm the 1963-1964 evaluations.
However at times bacterial numbers climb at some intakes to unexpectedly
high values. The high numbers are invariably associated with higher winds
and/or precipitation. Coliform numbers in the hundreds of thousands per
100 ml Mi liters are occasionally measured at the Port Clinton intake, and
in several thousands at many others such as Vermilion, Mentor, Painesville,
and Madison.
The Federal Water Pollution Control Administration will continue to
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gather bacterial data including pathogens at the beaches listed in
Table I, coliform and streptococci data at the tributaries also listed
in Table I and at the south shore municipal water intakes. In addition
the States of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and* New York are expected
to continue monitoring at an increasing number of beaches and at in-
creasing frequencies.
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BEAVERSL AND STAL' PARK
HANOVER & SUNSET BAY BEACHES
WRIGHT; PARK BEACH";
PO^NT GRAT10T ,'
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LSTFIELD B
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(ID IASHTABULA TWN. PARK,
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