Belle Isle visitors defy beach closure orders despite E. coli risk

Brave beachgoers blindly swam at Belle Isle beach this weekend, despite the fact that the city's health department shut it down Thursday due to high levels of E. coli.

Notices of the beach's closure were posted online via social media pages, across the digital marquee standing before the MacArthur Bridge, and orange traffic barrel cones along the shore with undated "Beach is Closed" signs taped on them — and still, families descended upon the beach to fight off the weekend's high temperatures in the 90s. Additional samples were collected Monday morning and will be tested by the health department.

"We got it out there as much as we could," said Tom Bissett, urban district supervisor for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. "I mean, short of fencing off the entire swim area, there's not much else we can do."

The source of the bacteria contamination has yet to be found by officials, Bissett said, but it could be due to animals or stormwater runoff, to name a few examples. Thursday's closure is the beach's first in almost two years, it was closed in July and August 2021 and twice in August 2017.

E.coli is a common germ to cause swimming-related illnesses, mostly acute gastrointestinal illnesses like diarrhea or vomiting, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More: Dry conditions, no rain in sight have Michigan at 'unprecedented' wildfire danger levels

More: Rocket Mortgage Classic: Detroit Golf Club repairs greens with help from famous course

Swimming at the beach is usually safe, Outlier Media reports, except after heavy rains. E. coli is not the only bacteria swarming the waters, it's regarded as an indicator species that health officials monitor because it can indicate that other bacteria abound.

State officials cannot make swimming at the beach illegal, even upon the detection of high levels of bacteria, so the weekend beachgoers will not face fines or legal ramifications — but they could face frequent trips to the bathroom.

"It's a public health advisory, so it's basically us saying that we do not recommend that you swim — and the key is 'recommendation,' I can't legally pull someone out of the water," Bissett said.

The advisory status alerts residents to the risk and leaves it up to individuals to determine whether they are willing to face the consequences. "People will go, 'I've been here 35 years, I'm not worried about it,' " Bissett said. "So it's either they don't believe it, or they don't listen, but either way we can't do anything about it."

According to the state health code, waters safe for full body contact cannot contain more than 130 E.coli per 100 milliliters over a 30-day average and never more than 300 E. coli per 100 ml. Sample results of the Detroit River at the beach yielded more than 400 E. coli per 100 ml on May 24.

Lab results of Monday's sampling are expected to head to the city's health department, and within 48 hours, health officials will give the state's Department of Natural Resources the green or red light on reopening. So there may be hope for a weekend swim.

Contact Miriam Marini: mmarini@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Belle Isle visitors defy beach closure orders despite E. coli risk