Wisconsin's fall colors are amazing, and Devil's Lake State Park is one of the best…
Just after 3 pm Friday afternoon (June 25th), Park rangers put up the yellow “caution” signs telling visitors that the water in the north shore beach area has tested positive for E.Coli, something that has become a regular occurrence over the last few years on Devil’s Lake State Park’s north shore. Here’s what you’ll want to know this weekend…
How Testing & Report Works
If you are concerned about E. Coli, it’s good to know how the testing actually works. Firstly, E.Coli levels change daily. When a water sample is taken from the various parts of the lake, it takes a couple of days to send in the sample to a lab and get the results back. This means that the test result that can cause notices or closures to the beach, was actually from the water 2 or 3 days ago. By the time the signs go up, the numbers will have changed. It could be higher, lower, or the same. This is why retesting takes place right away. Because of that 2-3 day lag between sampling and getting the report, the notice tells you more about how the lake was than is. Something to keep in mind. (The downside here is that we probably won’t see a new test result until the weekend is over…)
Online Reporting?
It certainly sucks if you’ve driven 1 hour, 3 hours, or more to swim only to find signs up when you get there! So how do you get this info online? Well, it depends on where you look. The Wisconsin Beach Health is generally up-to-date with advisory around the state including Devil’s Lake. Another option is to follow us on Facebook. We do our best to post advisories as soon as we see them as well. (This time around the DNR did post the advisory on Twitter as well.)
Common Questions
What is E. Coli?
E. coli is a common form of coliform bacteria that is found in the large intestines of humans and other warm-blooded animals. It is used as an indicator organism since it is easily cultured, and if present in elevated amounts, indicates that fecal matter is present in the water. If fecal matter is in the water, then other disease-causing bacteria may also be present..
E. Coli is not the same as “Swimmer’s Itch”.
How long will it take to clean the lake?
You can not “clean” a natural lake in the way that you might a swimming pool. You simply must wait for levels to go down in the affected area.
Why is there an advisory for one side of the lake and not the other?
Sometimes there will be an advisory for only one side or section of a lake or beach area. This is because the body of water is large enough that it is possible to have one end with elevated bacteria levels and the other end to be considered under safe levels with little threat of being contaminated. This is why you will see swimming, boating and other activities going on as usual in other areas of the lake.
More info
- Click here to learn more about e coli and beach monitoring from the Wisconsin DNR.
- Beach Monitoring FAQ from WI DNR.
- A good E. Coli overview – Purdue U.
- Thinking differently about E-coli – from the national park service
- Symptoms of E. Coli – Mayo Clinic
For nearly 2 decades the Skillet Creek blog has focused on 3 main goals; To inspire you to visit and explore the Devil’s Lake region, to help you get the most your visit by sharing tips, events, and other helpful information. Lastly to advocate for our environment & wildlife and talk about how we can keep our natural areas amazing now and into the future! That last goal can sometimes cause controversy, but it’s the only way we can accomplish the first two. – Derrick Mayoleth, Owner.
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