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City closes Hunter Springs Park due to high fecal coliform levels
By Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 17, 2002
CRYSTAL RIVER -- The city has closed Hunter Springs Park after tests indicated high levels of fecal coliform in the water. Found in human and animal waste, fecal coliforms generally do not pose a danger on their own. But high levels can indicate more harmful bacteria, such as those that cause typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis and cholera. Rather than just post signs about the risk to swimmers, the city closed the entire park because warnings have gone unheeded in the past. Additional water samples were taken Wednesday and the city should know early next week whether the popular swimming area is safe again, the Public Works Department said. CRYSTAL RIVER -- The city has closed Hunter Springs Park after tests indicated high levels of fecal coliform in the water. Found in human and animal waste, fecal coliforms generally do not pose a danger on their own. But high levels can indicate more harmful bacteria, such as those that cause typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis and cholera. Rather than just post signs about the risk to swimmers, the city closed the entire park because warnings have gone unheeded in the past. Additional water samples were taken Wednesday and the city should know early next week whether the popular swimming area is safe again, the Public Works Department said.
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