E.coli found in Clear Creek at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area in Redding
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area officials are advising guests not to swim in, or eat near Clear Creek after water samples from the creek tested positive for E. coli.
While small amounts are considered normal, the amount of the bacteria in part of the creek reached levels considered unsafe for people, according to a health advisory issued by the park on Thursday afternoon.
“We don’t know the cause yet, but we’ll have ongoing testing,” and “we’ll let people know when it’s safe to go back in the water,” Whiskeytown Superintendent Josh Hoines said.
The health advisory covers the part of Clear Creek that winds through the Tower House Historic District in the western part of the park, near French Gulch, Hoines said.
While most E. coli strains are harmless, "elevated levels indicate that pathogens could be present and sicken swimmers and other users of the creek," according to the health advisory.
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While Clear Creek tested above the threshold considered safe for humans, levels are still “pretty low,” Hoines said. “This is not a hard closure. People can still go in the water."
But for now, better options are to swim and picnic in other parts of the park, all of which tested safe. That includes East, Brandy Creek and Oak Bottom beaches, Hoines said.
Park staff will continue to test Clear Creek and announce when it’s safe to swim in the water and picnic on its shores, Hoines said; probably within a few days. “We have close to 40 miles of shoreline,” he said. We test it regularly to make sure people can swim safely.
E. coli is often found in food and in animal and human feces, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Although he's not certain if people, pets or wildlife raised bacteria levels in Clear Creek, Hoines does have a plausible suspect. “We have a goose problem” at Whiskeytown, he said.
The park's Canada goose population lives almost entirely on human food visitors feed them and on people's garbage. "A single goose can defecate approximately one to three pounds per day," according to the park's health advisory.
Guests are reminded never to feed, pet or otherwise try to tame wildlife; clean up after they picnic and dispose of all trash and food in the park's brown trashcans; shower before getting into the water; put swim diapers on babies; and only go to the bathroom in official restrooms.
Dig deeper: 'Geese behaving badly': Pesky, pooping and pugnacious, they're here to stay
Twice when Whiskeytown staff found E. coli in the park, geese were the culprits: At Brandy Creek Beach in June, 2018, and in Whiskey Creek in July, 2021.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: E. coli found in and around Clear Creek at Whiskeytown in Redding
