Two Swim Beaches Re-opened

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa District hoped to reopen swim beaches at Snake Creek and Cookson Bend on Lake Tenkiller Thursday, after testing confirmed E. coli levels are within acceptable range for freshwater swimming. The Chicken Creek swim beach will remain closed as testing showed higher than acceptable E. coli levels. Swim beaches at Snake Creek, Cookson Bend and Chicken Creek were closed June 13 after routine testing revealed elevated E. coli levels. A Corps spokesman explained  E. coli are a large and diverse group of bacteria found in the environment, foods and intestines of humans and animals. The bacteria can cause numerous illnesses to include diarrhea and infections to the urinary tract, respiratory system and bloodstream. Park rangers collect water samples from Corps lake swim areas every week. Testing is conducted by the Tulsa County Health Department. If a swim area fails to meet established water quality standards it is re-sampled within 24 hours. A second failure results in closure of the affected swim area. Stay tuned to KXMX or visit www.kxmx.com for the latest news. By Sally Maxwell, Senior News Director