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The Cleveland Plain Dealer
www.cleveland.com
Lake Erie beach closings blamed on water
pollution
By JOHN C. KUEHNER
Friday, August 04, 2000
The beach at Euclid Beach State Park was Northeast Ohio’s
dirtiest last year and was closed more than it was open
because of poor water quality, according to an environmental
group.
The Ohio Public Interest Research Group said Lake Erie
beaches were closed 257 times from Memorial Day to Labor
Day in 1999. That was an improvement over the previous year.
Euclid Beach State Park is about a mile east of the Easterly
Sewage Plant, which dumps more than 500 million gallons
of raw sewage into the lake yearly during heavy rain storms.
The beach was closed 59 days in 1999; Edgewater to the west
was closed 38 times last year.
Kate Strouse of the Ohio Public Interest Research Group
said the group credits state officials for posting advisories
when bacteria levels are too high for swimming.
But she added that Ohio should take the next step: Clean
up the pollution, improve water quality, keep beaches open.
The biggest problem facing beaches is the untreated sewage
entering the lake, said Steven Binns, supervisor of the
state’s beach monitoring program.
Untreated sewage flows into the lake during rain storms
when sewer systems are overwhelmed.
"Unfortunately, your sewer pipe is near or upstream
from the beach, and you have potential problems," Binns
said.
The regional sewer district already is working to correct
the overflow problems in Greater Cleveland. The projects
will take at least two decades to complete.
The report released yesterday is from the Natural Resources
Defense Council. "Testing the Waters 2000," is
available online: www.nrdc.org
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