Lake Samples

The City of Columbia is committed to providing public health services that prevent epidemics and the spread of disease, protect against environmental hazards, promote healthy behaviors, prevent injuries and illness, assure the quality and accessibility of health services, monitor the health of the population, provide social services and promote and protect civil rights.

Water Quality of Local Lakes

During the summer months, water samples are collected from local natural bathing beaches. The Health Department's lab analyzes the water for E. coli.

EPA Criteria for Freshwater Bathing (Full Body Contact) Recreational Water:

Based on a statistically sufficient number of samples (generally not less than 5 samples equally spaced over a 30-day period), the geometric mean of the indicated bacterial densities should not exceed one or the other of the following*:

E. coli: 126 per 100 ml

Water Analysis 2010

	per 100 ml	May	June	July	Aug
Cedar Lake	E. coli	6	1	49	72
Lake Cyrene	E. coli	32	13.4	28	5
Fairview Lake	E. coli	11	3	3	23
Hillcreek Lake	E. coli	9	80	21	0
Hinkson Creek at Capen Park	E. coli	122	162	921	228
W. Hulen Lake	E. coli	410	37	8	13
E. Hulen Lake	E. coli	73	68	24	11
Katy Lake	E. coli	13	9	10	13
Quarry Lake	E. coli			9	5
Queen Ann Lake	E. coli	14	38	50	3
Shalimar Gardens	E. coli	18	34	99	25
Twin Lakes (boating area)	E. coli		44		4
Woodrail Lake	E. coli	18	28	53	3

Weekly Samples and Resamples

	per 100 ml	5/26	6/8	6/29	7/19	7/28	8/9	8/26
Stephen's Lake	E. coli	16	23	10	26	16	6	11
Flat Branch Park	E. coli	816	410	461		214		1046
Flat Branch at Stadium Crossing	E. coli	461	131	649		313		461
Hinkson Creek at Capen Park	E. coli	122	161	1553		921
W. Hulen Lake	E. coli	410	33	27.5

*Follow up sample after sample that exceeded the recommended limits. Samples that exceed the recommended limits are re-sampled for three consecutive weeks.

TNTC indicates Too Numerous To Count

~ indicates that the sample was unable to be read due to the overgrowth of another organism.

X indicates that the area is closed for the season.

Return to the Environmental Health Division Homepage or return to the Columbia/Boone County Health Department Homepage