VENTURA — A swimming advisory is in effect for McIntosh Woods State Park in Cerro Gordo County due to an E. coli contamination.
Swimming is not recommended at a lake at the McIntosh Woods Beach until bacteria levels goe down. Swimming in contaminated water can lead to digestive diseases or skin, ear, and respiratory infections.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources’s weekly sampling at the park found too much E. coli in the water. High bacteria levels can come from water runoff with wildlife and pet droppings in it or from improperly constructed and operated septic tanks.
Advisories don’t mean that the beach is closed, however anyone swimming should take extra precautions. It’s best to shower immediately after swimming and to avoid ingesting the water.
Five other swimming advisories have been issued in Iowa after this week’s sampling. Those include beaches at Prairie Rose, Lake Darling, Backbone and Green Valley state parks.