Spirit Lake, IA (KICD 107.7 Radio)– A public beach in the Iowa Great Lakes has a swimming advisory headed into the last weekend before labor Day. The Iowa DNR does periodic tests at public beaches, and the last test on Wednesday indicates a higher than normal level of E Coli bacteria at Emerson Bay on the Southwest corner of West Okoboji. The other three beaches on West lake – Gull Point, Pike’s Point, and Triboji – all tested normal.
Fisheries Biologist Mike Hawkins says the toxin level on Big Spirit tested high this week as algae is starting to die off at the end of the summer, but the most recent test shows that level is safe again too. Hawkins says algae is present in most Iowa lakes, but is only monitored by the state where there are public beaches.