4.5 SR 04-01-2013lit � : , ] L .
IT-
Action Requested
Approve the revised Beach Posting Policy.
ack2roun/ iscussion
Council approved a Water Quality Testing Policy on June 14, 2011. Staff and the Lake Orono Water
Quality Committee has recommended the policy be amended to require testing be conducted twice per
week by taking 3 samples each time, resulting in a total of 6 samples per week in a 30 -day period.
If fecal coliform bacteria colonies remain below 200 per 100 mL of water in a 30 -day period and
no one sample exceeds 1,000 fecal coliform bacteria colonies per 100 mL of water, the beach is
not posted.
If fecal coliform colonies are above 200 per 100 mL of water in a 30 -day period or one sample
exceeds 1,000 fecal coliform bacteria colonies per 100 mL of water, the beach will be posted.
Current policy requires that the beach be posted with a warning sign if the geometric mean level exceeds
the limit. This requirement would remain in effect. The following entities would continue to be notified:
Lake Orono Improvement Association, City Council, City Administrator, Sherburne County Public
Health Department, Park and Recreation Department, and Police Department. At the point the beach is
posted, daily sampling commences (Monday — Friday) until the geometric mean drops below the limit and
the caution sign is removed.
Financial Impact
Additional testing would incur an additional cost.
• Amended Water Quality Testing at Orono Beach Policy
• June 13, 2011, staff report
Action Motion by Second by Vote
Follow Up
•' • • s
Testing Frequency
The beach is to be tested twice per week by taking 3 samples each time for a total of 6 samples per
week in a 30 -day period.
If fecal coliform bacteria counts remain below 200 per 100 mL of water in a 30 -day period and
no one sample exceeds 1,000 fecal coliform bacteria colonies per 100 mL of water the beach is
not posted.
If fecal coliform counts are above 200 per 100 mL of water in a 30 -day period or one sample
exceeds 1,000 fecal coliform bacteria colonies per 100 mL of water the beach is posted.
Standard for Posting Warning
If the geometric mean of the fecal coliform count of the six samples exceeds 200, signage shall be
posted at the beach stating, "Caution- Impaired Water Quality- Potential Health Risk if Swallowed." Daily
sampling (Monday — Friday) will be conducted until the geometric mean drops below the limit, at which
time the caution signs shall be removed.
Procedure for Notification of Beach Posting
• Parks and Recreation Department places signs at Orono Beach and public access
• Elk River Police Department is notified
• Lake Orono Improvement Association is notified and they perform a calling tree to lake owners
• Information is posted on City website at www.ElkRiverMN.gov and the Lake Orono
Improvement Association website at www.lakeorono.org
• Sherburne County Public Health Department is contacted (763.241.2750)
• Councilmembers and City Administrator are informed
Effective this _ day of , 2013.
Ctyof ,
REQUEST FOR ACTION
To
Item Number
Ma or & Ci Council
5.5.
Agenda Section
Meeting Date
Prepared by
Worksession
June 13, 2011
Rebecca Haug, Environmental
Administrator
Item Description
Reviewed by
Beach Posting Policy
Gag Leirmoe, WWTP
Reviewed by
Tim Simon, Finance Director
Action RegiLested
Approve the updated Beach Posting Policy to reflect the following: the average of five swimming beach
samples in a 30 -day period should not exceed a count of more than 200 fecal coliform bacteria colonies
per 100 mL of water and that no one sample should exceed 1,000 fecal coliform bacteria colonies per 100
mL of water.
Background/ Discussion
The Lake Orono Improvement Association (LOIA) attended the March 14, 2011 City Council meeting.
During the meeting, Paul Sheets, President of the LOIA, stated that the Minnesota Department of Health
(MDH) has less restrictive beach posting policy than the City. The Council directed staff to look into the
MDH policy for beach posting.
Staff has been researching other communities' beach posting requirements. Hennepin County Public
Health samples and analyzes the water at 31 public swimming beaches to ensure that they are safe to
swim in. Their sampling meets the EPA safe beach water standards. The measured E. coli bacteria
counts must be below 235 CFU /100 mL in a single sample or the geometric mean of 126 CFU /100 mL
from multiple samples. If the E. coli bacteria levels exceed these guidelines, Hennepin County Public
Health recommends beach closure until resample results show a level within an acceptable range.
In order to maintain healthy swimming beaches, the State of Minnesota established the following
recommendations:
• The average of five swimming beach samples in a 30 -day period should not exceed a count
of more than 200 fecal coliform bacteria cells per 100 mL of water.
• No one sample should have a fecal coliform count greater than 1,000 bacteria colonies per
100 mL of water. If a sample exceeds 1,000 bacteria colonies per
100 mL, consideration should be given to closing the swimming beach.
Staff discussed the different sampling practices with the Lake Orono Water Quality Committee at their
May 11, 2011 meeting. The Committee is in favor of the Beach Posting policy being the average of five
swimming beach samples in a 30 -day period not exceeding a count of more than 200 fecal coliform
bacteria cells per 100 mL of water.
N: \Public Bodies \City Council \Council RCA \Agenda Packet\06-13-201 1 \Beach posting.docx
Current policy requires that the beach is posted with a warning sign if the average level exceeds the limit.
Notification goes out to a list of individuals which includes the Lake Orono Improvement Association,
City Council, City Administrator, Sherburne County Public Health Department, Park & Recreation
Department, and Police Department. At the point the beach is posted, daily sampling commences
(Monday — Friday) until the average drops below the limit and the caution sign is removed.
Staff was directed at the June 6, 2011 City Council meeting to determine what would happen if the
average of the swimming beach samples exceeds the limit for an extended period of time and what other
cities that test do in these circumstances. Elk River's current policy would have the beach posted until the
levels fall below the limit, regardless of the amount of time it takes to fall to a "safe" level. This change
was implemented to avoid the need for beach closure. The MN Department of Health recommends that
consideration should be given to closing the beach when levels are above the safe limit because high fecal
coliform bacteria counts are an indicator that other, more virulent bacteria (e -coli or salmonella, for
example) that make people sick may be present in the water.
Staff contacted Hennepin County which administers beach water quality testing for the cities within the
County. Hennepin County has identified wildlife (waterfowl such as geese and ducks) and storm sewers
(runoff with dog waste) as the most frequent contributors to high fecal coliform bacteria counts. The
"human factor" (human waste from dirty diapers, for example) has not been an issue at Hennepin County
beaches.
Cities in Hennepin County receive the water test results and determine their response individually. The
City of Wayzata closes its beaches when fecal coliform counts exceed safe levels, for several weeks each
year. The City of Bloomington treats their beach sand to kill fecal coliform bacteria that may be present in
the sand as a result of goose feces but does not close their beaches. Other cities do not necessarily post or
close their beaches when counts are high. Hennepin County staff stated that calls have been received
from residents who have reported getting sick from beaches with high counts that were not closed or
posted with warnings.
The City of Elk River does not have large numbers of geese utilizing Lake Orono and the beach area. The
likelihood is that high fecal coliform bacteria counts are coming from the runoff from upstream and
possibly from storm sewers within the City limits carrying pet waste.
Financial lrn act
Additional testing would incur an additional cost. Sanitizing the beach would also incur a cost that has not
been determined at this time.
e Hennepin County and Minnesota Public Health beach testing policies
e Proposed City of Elk River Water Quality Testing Policy
Action Motion by Second by Vote
Follow Up
N: \Public Bodies \City Council \Council RCA \Agenda Packet \06-13 -2011 \Beach posting.docx
Beaches: How Safe is It? - Elf: Minnesota Department of Health Page 4 of 6
"blooms As they grow, algae produce toxic
..........
Hazards from recreational bathing are related to exposure through swimming or ingestion. Th4l
most common form of illness contracted from swimming in water is gastroenteritis - symptom
ofi gastroenteritis include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, headache and fever. Oth
illnesses such as respiratory illness or infections may also occur after exposure to
contaminated waters. I
Public Realth officials access water quality through a combination of sanitary inspection and-
micr•bial water quality assessment.
There is no simple way of determining if waters are free of contamination without laboratory
frequently, chasing away birds, grooming the be to remove contaminants and possibly
closing the beach.
How is water tested?
http://www.health.state.rrm.us/divs/eb/beaches/howsafe.htmi 5/23/2011
Beach Water Quality Information — Hennepin County, Minnesota
Beach Water lilty La SHARE. . P.t &f '
Information
Hennepin County Beach Water Quality
Information
Each summer, Hennepin County Public Health samples and analyzes the water at
31 public swimming beaches to make sure it Is safe for swimming.
This web page provides a regularly updated summary of beach status - OPEN or
CLOSED. Additional public swimming beaches In the county (not listed here) are
similarly monitored by their respective city or regional park authority,
Beach water sampling
Nearly all water -borne Illnesses are caused by organisms in untreated human and
other animal waste Introduced to the water directly or via rainstorm runoff, To
measure the risk of contracting gastrointestinal Illnesses from recreational
exposure to beach water, samples are collected and analyzed for Escherichia toll
bacteria, a primary indicator organism.
Beach water sampling results
The table below shows'the current status of beaches as of the most recent testing
date. To meet EPA safe beach water standards, the measured E. coil bacteria
count must be below 235 CFU 1100ml in a single sample, or the geometric mean
of 126 CFU /100ml from multiple samples.
When E. coil bacteria levels exceed these guidelines, Hennepin County
Public Health recommends beach closure until resample results show a
level within the acceptable range.
If a beach is listed as closed, you may contact the city listed for more information.
city Lake Beach Status
Deephaven Minnetonka Deephaven Main OFF SEASON
Beach - St. Louis Bay
Deephaven Minnetonka Lindwood OFF SEASON
Deephaven Minnetonka Nocomo OFF SEASON
Deephaven Minnetonka Northern Rd Sandy
Beach OFFSEASON
Deephaven Minnetonka Robinson's Bay OFF SEASON
Deephaven Minnetonka Rocky Beach OFF SEASON
Eden Prairie Rlley Riley OFF SEASON
Eden Prairie Round Lake Round Lake OFF SEASON
Excelsior Minnetonka Excelsior Commons OFF SEASON
Fort Snelling Snelling Snelling Lake Beach OFF SEASON
Independence Independence CampIhduhapi OFF SEASON
!Maple g Lake Long Lake Nelson Lakeside Beach OFF SEASON
Grove Weaver Lal<e Weaver Lake Park OFF SEASON
netonka Beach Minnetonka Community Beach - OFF SEASON
Beach Park
Mlnne.trista
out Camn C.hrictma,; Tr". OFFSEASON
Related Links
Hopkins Wells
Fargo Building
Environmental
Health
"u...,U�
Contact
Human Services
and Public Health
Department
Environmental
Health
9W AU
Phone: 612 -543 -5200
FAX: 952- 351 -5222
Location:
1011 First Street
South, Suite 21S
Hopkins, MN 55343
Page 1 of 2
mhbn1:file://CADocuments and Se ' s \rhaug\I.,ocai Setiings\'Temporary Internet Files \Co... 5/23/2011
Beach Water Quality Information -- Hennepin County, Minnesota Page 2 of 2
Minnetrlsta
Long Lake
Camp Kingswood -East
OFF SEASON
Minnetrista
Dutch
Camp Voyageur
OFF SEASON
Mound
Mound
Minnetonka
Minnetonka
Canary
Sherven Park, Beach
OFF SEASON
OFF SEASON
Mound
Minnetonka
Mound Bay Park
OFF SEASON
Mound
Minnetonka
Centerview Beach
OFF SEASON
Mound
Minnetonka
Wychwood Beach
OFF SEASON
Mound
Minnetonka
Chester
OFF SEASON
Orono
Minnetonka
Camp TEKO
OFF SEASON
Orono
Minnetonka
Summit Park Beach
OFF SEASON
Orono
Minnetonka
Casco Point
OFF SEASON
Orono
Minnetonka
LydiaM
OFF SEASON
Orono
Minnetonka
Sandy Beach
OFF SEASON
Shorewood
Minnetonka
Crescent Beach
OFF SEASON
Tonka Bay
Minnetonka
Wekota Park Beach
OFF SEASON
Wayzata
Minnetonka
Wayzata
OFF SEASON
Other local agencies that sample beach Water in Hennepin
County:
o Three RIV ®Pi Park Dlstroc -§
• Minnea®olis Park and Regina &ion Department
o City of Minnetonka
• !QI&M Qf Blcominoton
Links to other beach water websites:
• Centers for Disease Control
• Minnesota Dent of Health
• MN! Lake Superior Beach MQnitorino Prouram
Tips for staying healthy at the beach:
The Centers for Disease Control has the following recommendations for staying
healthy while enjoying the beach:
• Wait 24 hours before swimming after a heavy rainfall.
• Shower after being at the beach.
• Don't mouth or swallow beach water.
• Wash hands thoroughly before eating and after using the bathroom.
o Don't swim If you're sick, or have a weakened Immune system.
• Put tlght- fltting rubber or plastic pants on children wearing diapers and
those not toilet- trained.
• Take your children for frequent bathroom breaks.
• Don't attract waterfowl to the beach by feeding ducks, geese, gulls, etc
• Pick up your trash.
• If you boat, properly dispose of waste.
Bacteria and viruses in the water can cause some ear and eye Infections, stomach
aches, diarrhea, and flu -like symptoms.
For further information, or to report water - related illnesses, please
contact Hennepin County Public Health at (612) 543 -9200.
mh :file://C:\Documents and Settings\rhaug\ ,ocai Settings\Temporary Internet Files \Co... 5/23/2011
• • • • .-
Five samples shall be taken per month using an average of not more than 200 fecal coliform bacteria
cells per 100 mL of water. No one sample should have a fecal coliform count greater than 1,000 bacteria
colonies per 100 mL of water.
Standard for Posting Warning
if the average fecal coliform count of the five samples exceeds 200
the signage shall be posted at the
beach stating, "Caution- Impaired Water Quality- Potential Health Risk if Swallowed." Daily Ssampling
(Monday— Friday) will be conducted evep/ ^'a• a w4 ;g *4^ ^ �^ until the average
roes below the limit , at which
time the caution signs shall be removed.
INN
Notice When Beach is Posted
• StFeet-Park & Recreation Department places signs at Orono Beach and public access
• Contact Elk River Police Department
• Lake Orono Improvement Association is notified and they perform a calling tree to lake owners
• Posted on city website at www.ci.elk- river.mn.us and Lake Orono Improvement Association
website at www.lakeorono.org
• Contact Sherburne County Public Health Department at 763.241.2750
• Inform Councilmembers and City Administrator