Columbia River beaches reopen as E. Coli levels return to compliance
The Dalles Riverfront Park. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
By Cole Goodwin
The City of The Dalles Public Works released a press release on Sunday, July 17th, 2022 alerting the public that discharge to the Columbia River from the City of The Dalles Wastewater Treatment Plant has returned to compliance with permit limits for E. coli.
Testing Results from the PUD. Recent samples show that E. coli levels at the sample locations were well below bacterial criteria set by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for freshwater recreation. Oregon's water quality standard says that E. coli levels should not exceed 406 colonies/100 mL. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designated a federal standard that no single sample should exceed 235 colonies/100 mL.
What is E. coli? E. coli is a naturally occurring bacteria that lives in the lower intestines of warm-blooded mammals. Consuming E. coli and can result in diarhhea, vomiting, stomach pains, cramps, a fever, and even kidney damage. E. coli infections usually last between five-seven days.
Emergency beach closure signs which were placed at locations of public river access on the Oregon shore of the Columbia River, to warn of contaminated water, were taken down Sunday morning. Although some beaches such as Doug’s Beach near Lyle were still closed as of Monday morning.
Related Reading: Beaches closed due to discharge of untreated wastewater in The Dalles
A screenshot from the Swim Guide shows water quality through the Gorge. Red icons mean that the beach does not meet quality standards, grey means that the water sample information is too old to be accurate and green swimmer icons mean the beach meets water quality standards.
The City received some pushback from a facebook commenter about not having alerted citizens of the issue sooner. The PUD clarified that the delay in reading out effluent test results is due to the 24-hour incubation time required for each test.
The Department is in communication with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and local health department officials to coordinate demobilization. Questions can be directed to the Public Works Department office at (541) 296-5401.
Please note: At the time of writing there was still a BOIL WATER NOTICE in effect from Chenoweth Water PUD due to the detection of E.Coli in their water systems.
Related Reading: Chenoweth Water PUD Issues Boil Water Notice.
