BARBERTON, Ohio — Heavy rains caused flooding in many areas across Northeast Ohio as well as southern Ohio.
Many roads were turned into swimming pools. Despite how disgusting the water is, some people decided to take a dip.
But, as our Betsy Kling would say, “Floodwater is Mother Nature’s overflowing toilet,” and swimming and playing in the water is not a good idea.
We took samples of floodwater from Canal Fulton, Clinton and Barberton to the experts at the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. They do daily testing of Lake Erie's beaches for water quality.
Since we're talking about swimming and playing, we'll use the 'Recreation Water Quality' standards, measuring the amount of E. coli in the water with counts expressed as MPN (Most Probable Number) per 100 milliliters.
The Ohio Safety Standard is 235 MPN/100ml
We had four test samples done in Canal Fulton. Here were the results:
- Cherry Street 958
- Tuscarawas Street 2260
- Brenner Road 748
- Warwick Drive 548
We also had a sample taken in Clinton on North Street and it measured 1060, while 14th Street in Barberton had a staggering number of 26,130, more than 100 times the allowable safety standard of E. coli. in the water.
"Oh that just makes me sick to my stomach,” said Pattie Rapenchuk. “Because now I know what's in my basement."
Joyce Coburn, who serves on Barberton's city council, says she was surprised about how high the levels were, but not shocked about the contaminants in floodwater.
"That kind of catches me off guard that it was that high,” she said.
She says the city has warned its residents about raw sewage and other contaminants in flood water, which if exposed could lead to diseases and serious infections.
"We always advocate not to walk in it, not to play in it and certainly not to let your children play in it,” she said.
She says she now hopes people get the message.
Click here for the CDC's list of the best ways to protect yourself from the risks of flood water.