Tulsa, Okla. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa District is reopening swim beaches at Snake Creek and Cookson Bend on Lake Tenkiller, after testing confirmed E. coli levels are within acceptable range for fresh water swimming, June 19.
The Chicken Creek swim beach will remain closed as testing showed higher than acceptable E. coli levels.
Park rangers should have the Snake Creek and Cookson Bend swim areas reopened this evening.
Swim beaches at Snake Creek, Cookson Bend and Chicken Creek were closed, June 13 after routine testing revealed elevated E. coli levels.
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 each 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.
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Release no. 14-013