Hiawatha
beach closed and re-opened

BY dennis geisinger

"I think that one of the issues that led to the closing of the beach was definitely animal owners who don't pick up after their pets," said Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Commissioner at Large Mary Merrill Anderson last week.
The swimming beach at Lake Hiawatha in South Minneapolis was closed from July 9 through 17 by the park board, after heavy rains the previous weekend brought on elevated levels of E. coli bacteria. Beaches are tested at least once a week for bacteria content, according to the park board. A result of over a 1,260 bacteria count per 100 ml. of water can indicate a health risk, as recommended by the state.

The beach is open now and considered safe. Lifeguards are on duty from noon to 8 pm Saturday and Sunday through August 12.

A reading of a 9,550 bacteria count for Lake Hiawatha water was shown for July 9 on the park board website, more than seven times the acceptable level.
"We don't know for sure if it's dogs or geese or what it is," said Sara Aplikowski, who handles enviromental issues for the park board. "We did some DNA tracking last year through a lab in Florida, and the results were a little ambiguous. But they did point mainly to animal waste," Aplikowski said.

"There are a number of issues involved in the beach closing as I understand it," said Anderson "We did have an issue at one point of people allowing their small children in the lake without diapers," she said.

"The environmental health of Minnehaha Creek is another of our concerns,” said Anderson.

"That's probably, if not definitely, the main issue," Aplikowski said. "Minnehaha Creek is the watershed that drains some 100,000 acres, from Lake Minnetonka on down. That bacteria's in there from a very large area and it takes a few days for all that water to work its way down," she said. Lake Hiawatha is the repository of that run off.

"We tend to think of things as happening in our certain, small area," said Dawn Sommers, public information manager for the park board. "But especially for issues like water quality, we're talking about a huge extent of land," she said.
And a huge amount of users. According to Sommers, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board estimates some 18 million people will use city park resources in the coming year. If all those visitors came in a single day, it would work out to 15.5 sq. ft. of land and lake per person.

"There wasn't a formal process for educating the public about our city parks until just a few years ago," said Sommers, who was hired as the park board's public information officer in 2005. "In the entire history of our park system, there's been one or two people hired for one or two year intervals who handled the public information part of what we have to offer," she said.

With the city park system's 125-year anniversary arriving next spring, Sommers said that the park board's public relations could use a brush-up. "Our website has been around for seven years, but it's getting a little outdated," Sommers said. "I'd like to see our information translated into more languages," she said.
Public information is one way of helping to keep city lakes and the people who use them safe, according to park environmentalist Aplikowski.

"Generally, a lot of common sense things," Aplikowski said, "like picking up after your pets, and if your family swims in city lakes, teaching your kids to avoid swallowing the water or swimming with an open wound, making sure they wash their hands after swimming," she said.

"And we do monitor our lake water very closely in the days following a heavy rainfall," said Sommers. "But it's probably best then not to go swimming in a lake," she said.

"We did have an issue at one point of people allowing their small children in the lake without diapers," she said.
"The environmental health of Minnehaha Creek another of our concerns,” said Anderson.

"That's probably, if not definitely, the main issue," Aplikowski said. "Minnehaha Creek is the watershed that drains some 100,000 acres, from Lake Minnetonka on down. That bacteria's in there from a very large area and it takes a few days for all that water to work its way down," she said. Lake Hiawatha is the repository of that run off.

"We tend to think of things as happening in our certain, small area," said Dawn Sommers, public information manager for the park board. "But especially for issues like water quality, we're talking about a huge extent of land," she said.
And a huge amount of users. According to Sommers, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board estimates some 18 million people will use city park resources in the coming year. If all those visitors came in a single day, it would work out to 15.5 sq. ft. of land and lake per person.

"There wasn't a formal process for educating the public about our city parks until just a few years ago," said Sommers, who was hired as the park board's public information officer in 2005. "In the entire history of our park system, there's been one or two people hired for one or two year intervals who handled the public information part of what we have to offer," she said.

With the city park system's 125-year anniversary arriving next spring, Sommers said that the park board's public relations could use a brush-up. "Our website has been around for seven years, but it's getting a little outdated," Sommers said. "I'd like to see our information translated into more languages," she said.
Public information is one way of helping to keep city lakes and the people who use them safe, according to park environmentalist Aplikowski.

"Generally, a lot of common sense things," Aplikowski said, "like picking up after your pets, and if your family swims in city lakes, teaching your kids to avoid swallowing the water or swimming with an open wound, making sure they wash their hands after swimming," she said.

"And we do monitor our lake water very closely in the days following a heavy rainfall," said Sommers. "But it's probably best then not to go swimming in a lake," she said.