Bacteria, Sewage Spill, and Cyanobacteria Prompt Water Advisories

Health officials have issued water-contact advisories at several recreational sites after contamination concerns. At R.G. Kreusler Memorial Park in Palm Beach, testing found enterococcus bacteria above safe levels; officials plan to retest, and the swim advisory will remain until levels return to normal. Near Vashon’s north-end ferry terminal, a sewage spill that entered storm drains led officials to advise people and pets to avoid a marked area through Oct. 26. At Idaho’s Mann Lake, samples showed toxin-producing cyanobacteria, prompting warnings to avoid water contact and keep children, pets and livestock away; officials also caution that boiling or filtering the water will not remove the toxins.