E.coli and algae blooms continue to affect the lakes in a Locust Grove neighborhood.
On June 13, heavy rains caused flooding in Lake of the Woods, significantly damaging the vacuum sewer collection station at the neighborhood’s back gate. At first Rapidan Service Authority (RSA), said a limited amount of sewage passing through the station at the time of the failure may have been released into the community’s Main Lake via flood waters. The Main Lake is a 500-acre man-made lake with a variety of beach access points. The community also has Keaton’s Lake, a 24-acre lake with one boat launch and one sand beach. Both are used for a variety of activities including fishing and swimming. Community officials advised residents on Sunday to avoid any activities at both lakes that would pose a risk for ingesting the water. All of the beach and lake access points were later closed, with the lakes closed for recreational use including boating.
Once the pump was repaired June 16, RSA said after further investigation, they did not believe sewage entered the lake from the pump station.
The following day, both lakes were reopened for recreational use at one’s own risk. Community officials said after recent inspections and the recession of water levels, conditions were safe for reopening, but testing would continue.
Those test results have since been received. Test samples collected on June 17 by SOLitude as part of regular E.coli monitoring revealed increased E.coli levels at Skyline Beach, Harpers Ferry Beach, Clubhouse Beach and Cumberland Beach. Samples collected at the Marina boat launch and Keaton Run had levels determined to be within the Virginia Department of Health’s safe limit of 235 cfu/100ml. Pleasant Grove Beach, which is located on the Main Lake, was closed the following day with an E.coli concentration of 1203.3 cfu/100ml.
Since then, according to a release from Lake of the Woods, staff have been conducting internal testing, delivering samples to the Environmental Solutions lab in Culpeper for faster results and real-time monitoring.
Additional samples collected June 27 closed Mt. Pleasant Beach, also on the Main Lake, due to an E.coli concentration of 2419 cfu/100ml. Swim at your own risk advisories were instated for Ramsay Beach and Clubhouse Beach, also on the Main Lake, with concentrations of 517 cfu/100ml and 261 cfu/100ml respectively. Pleasant Grove Beach was reopened, but not for long.
On July 1, samples collected June 30 revealed a high E.coli concentration at Pleasant Grove Beach (2419.6 cfu/100ml), closing it once again. High concentrations were also at Edgemont Beach (416 cfu/100ml), Clubhouse Beach (275.5 cfu/100ml), Mt. Pleasant Beach (344.8 cfu/100ml) and Skyline Beach (248.1 cfu/100ml). Swim advisories were issued for all four.
Harmful algae blooms are also inhibiting residents’ enjoyment of the lakes and beaches. On June 30, Keaton’s Lake was closed due to test results indicated potentially toxic cyanobacteria (PTOX) concentrations ranging from 22,600-89,900 cells/ml. The neighborhood’s protocol closes a lake at PTOX values greater than 50,000 cells/ml. Control treatments were being applied.
According to LOW Officials, elevated bacteria levels are not unusual after heavy rainfall due to stormwater runoff entering the lake. This can cause E.coli levels to spike quickly, officials said. No single source of bacteria has been identified and officials said it may not be possible to identify one. However, officials said they are in close contact with RSA with the authority confirming there have been no known leaks into the lake since the June 15 storm.
Water quality testing will continue at an accelerated rate until E.coli levels stabilize and remain below health-based thresholds.
As for the algae, officials said it could be due to the consecutive weather events that occurred combined with the recent high temperatures. Solitude Lake Management was scheduled to perform a treatment Wednesday, followed by an additional treatment in 10 to 14 days. Keaton’s Lake will remain closed through the upcoming holiday weekend.
