Water Pathogens
The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District advises people to avoid direct body contact* with the Minnehaha Creek for a period of 3 days or 72 hours, after a rainfall ends. Minnehaha Creek is an urban stream that receives direct storm sewer runoff from streets, which may contain pathogens (disease-causing organisms including bacteria, viruses or protozoa that can cause illness). Pathogen indicators (microbes that indicate the possible presence of pathogens) are present in the creek at all times, but reach higher levels after a storm event.
* To credibly define direct body contact,
you are more likely to get sick if you get any water in your mouth
during swimming but may include water in your eyes, ears or on the skin.
In addition to swimming, direct body contact may be possible during
canoeing, fishing and wading.
Here
are some suggestions for safer use of the creek, but be advised that
following these suggestions does not eliminate the possibility of
becoming ill from exposure to pathogens.
- Don't drink creek water
- Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before eating or putting fingers in mouth following contact with creek water
- Elderly people, children and people with compromised immune systems are at greater risk/more susceptible to pathogens in surface water than others
The MCWD commissioned a detailed report regarding the relationship between precipitation events and the concentration of pathogen indicators in the Minnehaha Creek and at Minneapolis beaches.
More Tips to Avoid Water-Borne Illness
June 28, 2011
Awareness of illness and healthy swimming behaviors plan an important role in stopping the spread of illnesses through recreational water, according to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
Germs on and in swimmers' bodies end up in the water and can make other people sick. Even healthy swimmers can get sick from recreational water illnesses, but the young, elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are especially at risk.
Specific actions people can take to promote healthy swimming include:
Don't swim when you have diarrhea
Don't swallow pool or lake water
Practice good hygiene. Shower with soap before swimming
Wash your hands thoroughly after using the toilet or changing diapers
Take children on bathroom breaks or change diapers often
Change diapers in a bathroom, not at poolside or beach side
From 2000 to 2010, 23 swimming pool outbreaks and 15 beach outbreaks were identified in Minnesota, resulting in over 900 illnesses. The most common symptom of recreational water illness is diarrhea, which frequently is severe enough to result in hospitalization. Symptoms may not begin until a week or more after swimming.
The parasite Cryptosporidium is one of the most common waterborne disease agents. Cryptosporidium, a chlorine resistant parasite, can survive and be transmitted even in a properly maintained pool.
To Report a Suspected Waterborne Illness
Call the Foodborne and Waterborne Illness Hotline at 1-877-366-3455
For More Information Regarding Waterborne Illness
Contact Trisha Robinson at 651-201-5414
For More Information About Healthy Swimming
Including health promotion materials - see the Centers for Disease Control Healthy Swimming web page
