Do you recall, a few years ago, when they closed all the beaches on the lake due to heavy rain runoff and all that stuff on land that washes into the lake.
That happened several times.
Thanks for the heads up. I will stay out of the water for a while. I live on Flat Creek. If I see anything floating, I will be sure to report back to you.
I keep seeing that poor girl's sunburn on the video thumbnail. Ah, the gold old days before skin cancer was a worry.
Water department is waiting to see results of fecal coliform testing. Given the mass amount of water, they don't seem particularly worried. Their pumps were under 10 ft of water.
The acceptable level of E. coli is determined by risk analysis based on statistics to protect human health. Drinking water should have no E. coli after treatment. E. coli levels at designated swimming beaches should not exceed 88 per 100 milliliter (mL) in any one sample, or exceed a three-sample average over a 60-day period of 47/100mL. Recreational waters that are not designated beaches should not have more than 406 E. coli/100mL in any one sample, or more than 126/100mL in a 60-day, three-sample average. Occasional higher numbers are not unusual, particularly after storm events and where urban or agricultural runoff occurs. These levels are generally not considered unsafe unless investigation indicates the source to be sewage.
I've been digging around for some water quality data this morning.
First, here is the official language from Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division (EPD) regarding waterbody designated uses and associated water quality standards:
(6)(b)Recreation: General recreational activities such as water skiing, boating, and swimming, or
for any other use requiring water of a lower quality, such as recreational fishing. These
criteria are not to be interpreted as encouraging water contact sports in proximity to
sewage or industrial waste discharges regardless of treatment requirements:
(i) Bacteria
2. All other recreational waters: Culturable E. coli not to exceed a geometric mean of 126
CFU (colony forming units) per 100 mL. The geometric mean duration shall not be greater
than 30 days. There shall be no greater than a ten percent excursion frequency of an E.
coli statistical threshold value (STV) of 410 CFU per 100 mL in the same 30-day interval.
Most of the data in the links above is not recent enough to help make a decision for this weekends regatta.
I did however speak with someone from the Chattahoochee River Keepers Headwater Office, I told him that we have a regatta scheduled for this weekend at LLSC. He said that "if it were him" he wouldn't want to spend a lot of time swimming in the water, and folks with compromised immune systems might consider avoiding the water all together. He also said that the bacteria levels in the lake are likely more impacted by the recent heavy rainfall than the sewage spill. He even offered to run a bacteria sample for us if we collected it ang got it to him within the hour (i called several folks, but no one was available on such a short time frame). But keep this in mind for future sampling needs. I have done a lot of water quality sampling and would be happy to go over the procedure if anyone ever has a need.
TL;DR: Bacteria levels associated with heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Delta is likely more of a concern than the sewage spill in Flat Creek. Healthy people should spend as little time with their heads under the water as possible.
Maybe the city of G'ville will throw in a few truck loads of chlorine...
Let's see ....3oz of Chlorine per 1000 gallons
637 Billion gallons to treat.....
So Friday - Lake Latrine or Lake Allatoona?
What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.
Do you recall, a few years ago, when they closed all the beaches on the lake due to heavy rain runoff and all that stuff on land that washes into the lake.
That happened several times.
Thanks for the heads up. I will stay out of the water for a while. I live on Flat Creek. If I see anything floating, I will be sure to report back to you.
PeelSkid
Peelskid, if you see a Baby Ruth float by, you might want to leave it alone
WOW! Was that what that was?
PeelSkid
Sewer trout.
Bill Herderich
I keep seeing that poor girl's sunburn on the video thumbnail. Ah, the gold old days before skin cancer was a worry.
Water department is waiting to see results of fecal coliform testing. Given the mass amount of water, they don't seem particularly worried. Their pumps were under 10 ft of water.
By now we should have built up some antibodies
webguy
Nope! Definitely not GREEN!
PeelSkid
https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/government/2-million-gallons-raw-sewage-believed-have-spilled-flat-creek-upstream-lake-lanier/
2020 continues to deliver
Is that a decimal place or a comma?
What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.
eai-labs.com
What level of E. coli is acceptable?
The acceptable level of E. coli is determined by risk analysis based on statistics to protect human health. Drinking water should have no E. coli after treatment. E. coli levels at designated swimming beaches should not exceed 88 per 100 milliliter (mL) in any one sample, or exceed a three-sample average over a 60-day period of 47/100mL. Recreational waters that are not designated beaches should not have more than 406 E. coli/100mL in any one sample, or more than 126/100mL in a 60-day, three-sample average. Occasional higher numbers are not unusual, particularly after storm events and where urban or agricultural runoff occurs. These levels are generally not considered unsafe unless investigation indicates the source to be sewage.
Is it safe?
So it is about 900 times more than the safe limit......
What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.
Deja vu: https://windsportatlanta.com/content/stay-out-water-lake-lanier-5317
Randy, that's in Flat Creek itself (afaik). When it hits Lanier and then goes down stream, there's going a lot of dilution.
I've been digging around for some water quality data this morning.
First, here is the official language from Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division (EPD) regarding waterbody designated uses and associated water quality standards:
(6)(b)Recreation: General recreational activities such as water skiing, boating, and swimming, or
for any other use requiring water of a lower quality, such as recreational fishing. These
criteria are not to be interpreted as encouraging water contact sports in proximity to
sewage or industrial waste discharges regardless of treatment requirements:
(i) Bacteria
2. All other recreational waters: Culturable E. coli not to exceed a geometric mean of 126
CFU (colony forming units) per 100 mL. The geometric mean duration shall not be greater
than 30 days. There shall be no greater than a ten percent excursion frequency of an E.
coli statistical threshold value (STV) of 410 CFU per 100 mL in the same 30-day interval.
Full document here: https://epd.georgia.gov/document/publication/391-3-6-03-triennial-13-final-editspdf/download
I also found a few sources for bacteria water quality monitoring data:
Chattahoochee River Keeper Neighborhood Water Watch (https://nww.chattahoochee.org/DataPage)
Georgia Adopt-a-Stream (https://aas.gaepd.org/Group.aspx?id=458)
GA EPD GOMAS Database (https://gomaspublic.gaepd.org/Home/GOMAS_Home)
Most of the data in the links above is not recent enough to help make a decision for this weekends regatta.
I did however speak with someone from the Chattahoochee River Keepers Headwater Office, I told him that we have a regatta scheduled for this weekend at LLSC. He said that "if it were him" he wouldn't want to spend a lot of time swimming in the water, and folks with compromised immune systems might consider avoiding the water all together. He also said that the bacteria levels in the lake are likely more impacted by the recent heavy rainfall than the sewage spill. He even offered to run a bacteria sample for us if we collected it ang got it to him within the hour (i called several folks, but no one was available on such a short time frame). But keep this in mind for future sampling needs. I have done a lot of water quality sampling and would be happy to go over the procedure if anyone ever has a need.
TL;DR: Bacteria levels associated with heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Delta is likely more of a concern than the sewage spill in Flat Creek. Healthy people should spend as little time with their heads under the water as possible.
Given that I get "lake nose" (sinus irritation following a good dunking) on a good day, sounds like sensible advice.
Nice to have an informed opinion in the crowd.
I think I'll sail at Galts on Friday afternoon.
Bill Herderich
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