The Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper reminds the public to check water quality before accessing natural waterways during the upcoming holiday weekend, due to excessive E. coli levels found in testing at Geneva boat ramp and Kelly Creek.
DALE COUNTY , Ala. - The Choctawhatchee River keeper is urging the public to be water aware before accessing Alabama’s natural waterways during the upcoming holiday weekend.
Riverkeeper Michael Mullen conducted testing on several bodies of water a few days ago, including several places along the Choctawhatchee River. Testing found excessive levels of E. coli in the river’s water at the Geneva boat ramp at Fowler Park and at Kelly Creek in Dale County. Mullen said children are the biggest concern when it comes to infections and encouraged the public to check the test results of any natural body of water before diving into it.
“They can get dehydrated very quickly, and they can get in trouble, and even in the hospital very quickly,” Mullen said. “But there are a lot of things we can do to protect ourselves, and the swim guide information, the data we put into it, is just one of a number of tools that people can use. ”is a site dedicated to monitoring the health of water, which is where Mullen uploads his findings to keep people informed.
Mullen said the reasons behind the excess are complicated. While rain runoff explains most cases, there are other causes, some of which could come from wastewater treatment plants upstream. The riverkeeper plans to run further testing closer to Memorial Day weekend. The Alabama Department of Public Health’s Infectious Disease Division Director said it’s important to pay attention to signs of infection after visiting waterways.
“Swimming in freshwater lakes that have high level of E. coli, which basically means that there is runoff from fecal material, it can cause anything from gastrointestinal symptoms, skin infections, and even ear infections to some extent,” said Amanda Ingram, division director of infectious disease and outbreaks at ADPH. “The symptoms usually appear within 1 to 10 days after they can ingest that water.
And it primarily includes things like severe stomach cramps, watery or bloody diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and low fever. ” Mullen and Ingram also advised against getting into rivers and lakes with open wounds, which pose another infection risk. Download the WTVY News4 app to get alerts and stories the moment they are published.
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Alabama Waterways E. Coli Levels Choctawhatchee River Geneva Boat Ramp Kelly Creek Dale County WTVY News
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