Latest news with #MattGreene
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
'People are not happy': Presque Isle deals with swimming restrictions at Beaches 6 & 8
Presque Isle State Park lifeguards have been posted this week at the entrances of Beaches 6 and 8, more than 100 yards from the Lake Erie shoreline. Their job has been to politely inform visitors that swimming has been restricted at the popular beaches due to consistently high levels of E. coli bacteria. No one has been allowed to swim at Beaches 6 and 8 since July 8. "People are not happy and understandably so," said Matt Greene, the park's operations manager. "These are two of our most popular beaches and people have been going to them for a long time." High E. coli levels are a concern because they indicate a significant amount of sewage or animal waste in the water that can give swimmers gastrointestinal illness or skin infections. Park officials have been working with the Erie County Department of Health to figure out why levels are so high, and what can be done to lower them and once again allow people to swim at Beaches 6 and 8. "Right now, we don't have an explanation," Greene said. "We haven't seen any unusual storms that cause run off from nearby streams, or significant bird activity at those beaches." Though water samples taken at both beaches this week have not exceeded the daily limit of 999 E. coli particles per 100 milliliters of lake water, they have been high enough at both beaches to exceed the average, or geometric mean, of 126 particles over the previous 30 days of testing. Beach 6's geometric mean was 146 on July 11, while Beach 8's was 127.8, Greene said. "One good (testing) day could bring them down and allow us to lift the restrictions," Greene said. The issue most days has been that one of the three daily samples taken at each beach has been high, which increases the beach's average. After a storm passes, the amount of E. coli in all three samples is usually elevated. Some days a sample taken from the edge of a beach's swimming section is high, while other times it's a sample taken from the middle, Greene said. Park officials are "crunching the numbers" to determine a reason for the high levels, Greene said. They are looking at several possible causes, including infrastructure problems and testing anomalies. More: Swimming restricted for second straight day at two Presque Isle State Park beaches Though swimming is currently not allowed at the park's two most popular beaches, park officials do have alternatives. They have opened Beaches 1, 3, 7 and 10 for swimming in recent days, along with Beach 11, which is usually open for swimming. They might even open Beach 9 on weekends, Greene said. "The bathrooms at those beaches are already open, so we just make sure the lifeguard operations are ready at those beaches," Greene said. "Beaches 6 and 8 are centrally located, though, and they are where we have put in so much infrastructure. We don't like having restrictions at all, but certainly not at those two beaches." Contact David Bruce at dbruce@ Follow him on X @ETNBruce. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: No swimming at Presque Isle beaches still due to E. coli
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
'People are not happy': Presque Isle deals with swimming restrictions at Beaches 6 & 8
Presque Isle State Park lifeguards have been posted this week at the entrances of Beaches 6 and 8, more than 100 yards from the Lake Erie shoreline. Their job has been to politely inform visitors that swimming has been restricted at the popular beaches due to consistently high levels of E. coli bacteria. No one has been allowed to swim at Beaches 6 and 8 since July 8. "People are not happy and understandably so," said Matt Greene, the park's operations manager. "These are two of our most popular beaches and people have been going to them for a long time." High E. coli levels are a concern because they indicate a significant amount of sewage or animal waste in the water that can give swimmers gastrointestinal illness or skin infections. Park officials have been working with the Erie County Department of Health to figure out why levels are so high, and what can be done to lower them and once again allow people to swim at Beaches 6 and 8. "Right now, we don't have an explanation," Greene said. "We haven't seen any unusual storms that cause run off from nearby streams, or significant bird activity at those beaches." Though water samples taken at both beaches this week have not exceeded the daily limit of 999 E. coli particles per 100 milliliters of lake water, they have been high enough at both beaches to exceed the average, or geometric mean, of 126 particles over the previous 30 days of testing. Beach 6's geometric mean was 146 on July 11, while Beach 8's was 127.8, Greene said. "One good (testing) day could bring them down and allow us to lift the restrictions," Greene said. The issue most days has been that one of the three daily samples taken at each beach has been high, which increases the beach's average. After a storm passes, the amount of E. coli in all three samples is usually elevated. Some days a sample taken from the edge of a beach's swimming section is high, while other times it's a sample taken from the middle, Greene said. Park officials are "crunching the numbers" to determine a reason for the high levels, Greene said. They are looking at several possible causes, including infrastructure problems and testing anomalies. More: Swimming restricted for second straight day at two Presque Isle State Park beaches Though swimming is currently not allowed at the park's two most popular beaches, park officials do have alternatives. They have opened Beaches 1, 3, 7 and 10 for swimming in recent days, along with Beach 11, which is usually open for swimming. They might even open Beach 9 on weekends, Greene said. "The bathrooms at those beaches are already open, so we just make sure the lifeguard operations are ready at those beaches," Greene said. "Beaches 6 and 8 are centrally located, though, and they are where we have put in so much infrastructure. We don't like having restrictions at all, but certainly not at those two beaches." Contact David Bruce at dbruce@ Follow him on X @ETNBruce. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: No swimming at Presque Isle beaches still due to E. coli
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Presque Isle State Park will not receive $1.5 million in funding for sand replenishment
Presque Isle State Park will not receive its usual $1.5 million in federal funding for sand replenishment this year, raising concerns about infrastructure stability. The park typically receives $3 million annually for sand replenishment, with half coming from the federal government and half from the state. This year, the federal government has not provided its share, leaving the state to cover the remaining $1.5 million. 'The commonwealth is going to contribute its half of the 1.5 million into the project this year. Nourishment will continue, but it will be about half scale, though,' said Matt Greene, Presque Isle State Park Operations Manager. State Representative Ryan Bizzarro criticized the lack of federal funding, stating, 'You can't be pro-business or pro-growth without understanding how sand replenishment benefits the region.' DCED officials promote NAP program during visit to Erie Presque Isle State Park spreads 38,000 cubic yards of sand annually to maintain infrastructure integrity. This process mimics natural sand replenishment that would occur without man-made structures. Due to the funding shortfall, park officials plan to conduct a partial replenishment by relocating sand from tombolos, sand bars that connect to break walls, to areas most affected by erosion. Matt Greene explained that the sand might need to be moved further than usual this year to address erosion at critical locations like Beaches 5 through Mill Road Beach. Ryan Bizzarro expressed disappointment over the federal government's decision, highlighting the importance of sand replenishment for regional growth and infrastructure stability. Green-thumbed gardeners, plant enthusiasts gather at Community Seedling Swap and Sale Bizzarro also noted the political context, urging federal representatives to advocate for the restoration of funding. Greene emphasized the need for consistent sand replenishment to prevent operational impacts and maintain the peninsula's infrastructure. Without federal funding, Presque Isle State Park faces challenges in maintaining its infrastructure, prompting state officials to seek alternative solutions for sand replenishment, considering it's not fully budgeted for now by the Commonwealth. The situation underscores the importance of federal support for regional projects. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WJET/WFXP. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WJET/WFXP staff before being published. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
