Oneida Shores and William Park Beach will remain closed until further notice.
Women run into Oneida Lake Saturday as they begin their 600 meter swim during the Aflac Iron Girl Syracuse Women's Triathlon held at Oneida Shores County Park.
Cicero, NY - The Onondaga County Health Department today closed two beaches on Oneida Lake because of high bacteria counts.
Oneida Shores, a county park and beach in the hamlet of Brewerton, and the town of Cicero’s William Park Beach will not be open to swimmers until further notice. County health officials have taken samples of the water, which showed high levels of bacteria, according to Cicero Parks and Recreation Director Jody Rogers.
Rogers said she drove to William Park Beach, which is also on Oneida Lake, around 2 p.m. today and posted signs letting visitors know the beach is closed until further notice because of the high bacteria count. Life guards will remain at the beach in Cicero from 1 to 7 p.m. today through Sunday to tell people they can’t swim, Rogers said.
County health officials have received no reports of anyone becoming ill because of the high bacteria counts, said Martin Skahen, communications director for Onondaga County. Some types of coliform bacteria can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, and anyone concerned about such symptoms should contact their health care provider, he said.
The high levels of bacteria are the result of several factors, including warmer than usual water temperatures, warm-blooded animal fecal matter (including geese droppings) and the lack of storms or wind to recirculate the water, Skahen said.
Hundreds of female athletes from around the country competed in the Aflac Iron Girl Triathlon on Saturday at Oneida Shores County Park. The triathlon included a 600-meter swim in Oneida Shores.
Up to 35 men and women have been taking part in the North Area YMCA’s open water swim practice for triathletes every Thursday evening this summer, Rogers said. They enter the water through Joseph F. William Memorial Park and Beach off Lakeshore Road in Cicero, she said.
Health department officials told Rogers they are continuing to take daily water samples and will let her know around noon each day this week whether the town’s beach can reopen. William Park Beach was scheduled to be open through Sunday evening.
Catie O’Toole can be reached at cotoole@syracuse.com or 470-2134.