Warning signs line the beach of Robie Creek off Lucky Peak Reservoir after recent testing showed E. Coli in the water earlier this month. LauriMonnot, Watershed Coordinator for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, says no one has a confirmed case of the illness.
Robie Creek has a history of E. Coli. Monnot says the water was contaminated in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, and now 2012. The DEQ performed a source assessment last year, but all leads dead-ended.
The study looked at septic drainage, intermittent water flows, livestock, wildlife, and geese, none of which were the cause. The Army Corps of Engineers even stopped watering the grass to deter geese.
But Monnot says the rest of the lake is safe. “When we sample just a little bit out stream in the reservoir, we don’t see those high bacteria counts. We also don’t see that at other swimming areas within Lucky Peak, we only see it at Robie Creek,” Monnet says. “It’s just a little bit different.”
Monnot says the E. Coli will run its course and disappear, most likely by the end of July. The DEQ and the Army Corps of Engineers will monitor the water and wait until bacteria levels subside.
“It depends on the water, it depends on use, it depends on a lot of things," Monnet says. "There’s no way of forecasting how long it will take to get out.”
The beach isn’t closed, but should be avoided. Monnot reminds lake-goers to wash their hands and shower off after swimming in natural water.