Update (9:13 a.m. June 16): A point of clarification from Judd Slivka, communications director for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources: Elevated E. coli levels only resulted in five beaches being closed. Twain hasn't
opened this season -- and wouldn't have opened this week regardless of bacteria
levels -- due to flooding.
Original story (4:25 p.m. June 16): On Monday, the DNR tested E. coli levels at 15 swimming beaches within 85 state parks and found that six exceeded the limit for E. coli. As a result, the beaches at Mark Twain, Wakonda, Crowder, Cuivre River, St. Joe and Thousand Hills state parks will be closed this weekend, according to a DNR press release issued ... just now.
this story, E. coli is a nicer way of saying poop.
DNR's standard single-sample maximum for E. coli is 235 E. coli
colonies per 100 milliliters of water. The E. coli level at Mark
Twain State Park's beach was higher than 2,419.6 colonies per 100 milliliters of water (more than 10 times the DNR's limit). Wakonda
State Park, which was also closed last week because of high bacteria
levels, had readings of 1,986.3 E. coli colonies per 100 milliliters.
DNR found 261.3 E. coli colonies per 100 milliliters at Crowder State
Park, 547.5 at Cuivre River State Park, 261.3 at St. Joe State Park and
238.2 at Thousand Hills State Park.
But there are at least nine
other beaches at Missouri's state parks that remain open. So take that,
Poop Monster.
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