Oakland County is launching a new program that allows residents to test water for E.Coli.
The private beach sampling kit will fill the gaps where the Oakland County Health Department is not already testing the water. While public beaches in Oakland County are tested, there are a number of neighborhood beaches and semi-private beaches that aren’t tested. In Oakland County alone there are more than 250 beaches with swimmable areas, only a few dozen are public.
This year the Oakland County Health Department will be testing roughly 70 beaches throughout the county.
That’s why $6 testing kits are being made available for the public if they want to test their own private beaches, or areas to ensure E.Coli isn’t at an unsafe level. While the test only costs $6, it’s important to note that levels of E.Coli are known to change throughout a swimming season — a program to test the water is easy to develop, and the people who offer the tests can help you figure a plan out.
“The presence of water fowl, whether the beach is maintained, are there stormwater outfalls on the beach?” said Mark Hansel, the chief of special programs of the Oakland County Health Department’s environmental special health unit, “These are things that can contribute to the heath of the water itself.”
If issues are found the county can give recommendations, or in some cases, even help work with a municipality on issues that could be causing high E.Coli levels.
The kits are available through the Oakland County Health Department. You can learn more by calling the department at 248-858-1312 for more information.
