An Oneida Lake beach in Oswego County is also closed this weekend, while beaches in Madison and Oneida counties are open.
View full sizeA swimming area at Joseph William Memorial Park in Cicero was closed Wednesday following a county health advisory. The beach will remain closed this weekend and, since the beach was scheduled to close for the season on Sunday, will not open again this summer.Cicero, NY -- Two public beaches on the shores of Oneida Lake will remain closed this weekend as local officials continue to monitor high levels of blue-green algae and bacteria.
Cicero officials Friday announced Joseph F. William Memorial Park Beach on Lakeshore Road will not reopen this summer after water samples turned up high levels of coliform bacteria, which thrives in warm than usual water temperatures and can cause gastrointestinal symptoms.
The presence of the bacteria closed Oneida Shores on Wednesday, but county officials reopened the popular beach on Thursday after results from a water sample showed acceptable levels of bacteria for swimming.
Cicero Parks and Recreation Director Jody Rogers said William Park beach was scheduled to close for the season on Sunday. Last year, the site closed 10 days early when county officials found high levels of bacteria in the water.
The park’s picnic and playground facilities will remain open; staff will be on site to explain why the waters are off-limits.
The closures in Onondaga County triggered additional testing at Chapman Park and Lewis Point Campgrounds in Madison County, which had registered acceptable levels of bacteria in June and July.
The beaches will remain open despite test results Friday that indicated “somewhat elevated” levels of bacteria, said Geoff Snyder, director of environmental health for the Madison County Health Department.
“We’re still okay,” Snyder said. “We are well below the threshold for alarm.” Snyder said regular testing will continue at the two sites in the coming weeks.
In Oswego County, David C. Webb Memorial Park, also known as Taft Bay Beach, closed Tuesday because of high levels of blue-green algae. The waters will remain closed this weekend, and health officials plan to test the water on Monday, said Natalie Roy of the county health department’s environmental division.
Oneida County officials are also monitoring the Sylvan and Verona beach areas for algae blooms, which can cause swimmer’s itch. Oneida County Environmental Health Director Dan Gilmore said water samples collected this week at both sites indicated algae levels that were safe for swimming. Tests on bacteria are due back on Monday, but Gilmore said the water quality did show improvement in the last few days.
Sylvan Beach is subject to weekly tests for bacteria, Gilmore said. The algae testing, which could identify blooms which include toxins that pose a health risk to humans and pets, is more unusual.
Gilmore said notices will be posted at both Sylvan and Verona beaches, advising swimmers to stay away from patches of algae.
Contact Alaina Potrikus at apotrikus@syracuse.com or 470-3252.