FISHERS, Ind — Health officials in Fishers are awaiting results of water quality tests done Tuesday to determine if a popular beach will reopen this summer.
The brand new Geist Waterfront Park beach is closed right now because of unacceptable levels of E. coli bacteria — basically, poop in the water.
"That is correct," Fishers public health director Monica Heltz said. "You know, it's found as a normal part of human conditions. But again, we sample that because it's an easy thing to sample. It's an easy thing to test, but it also is kind of an indicator of, 'Well, these are the conditions that bacteria likes.' So rather than testing hundreds of bacteria, we test E. coli."
The water in the beach area is tested weekly. Three natural springs and six industrial-sized aerators in the cove help move the water and improve water quality. But extremely hot weather and lots of rain are two factors that can raise E. coli levels.
Tim Riethmiller and his 4-year-old daughter, Hazel, come to the beach often since it opened in May. And on a beautiful day like this, they would normally be in the water.
"Testing is imperative all across the board and really makes a big difference in a parent's knowledge, of knowing that the city cares," Riethmiller said.
Labor Day is the last day the beach is supposed to be open this summer, so if the E. coli levels don't drop with this week's testing, then the beach is closed for the season.
"Of course, we would love it to be open for Labor Day weekend," Heltz said. "I was hoping to go there myself. So I'm certainly hoping that that we can make sure that it's safe so that we can reopen it for residents, as we know it's the last weekend."
The latest test results should be available by the end of Wednesday to determine if it's safe to join the ducks in the water.
"I think they're taking all the precautions possible, and I think they're doing a fantastic job knowing that this is the most anticipated weekend, besides for Fourth of July, of the year, and they really want to make sure that the public is safe," Reithmiller said.