Popular Chatfield Beach Remains Closed Due To E. Coli
LITTLETON, Colo. (CBS4) - A popular beach for swimming is closed because of high levels of E. coli.
The swim beach at Chatfield Reservoir will be closed through Sunday morning. The recent storms are affecting the contamination levels.
The geese were the only ones braving the beach at Chatfield State Park where red warning signs kept visitors away since Thursday. The empty sand is a stark difference from last weekend.
"We had about 2,500 people here July 5," park manager Shannon Gregory said. "So having no one here definitely hurts."
Several visitors were turned away at the gate and told to head somewhere else.
"We'll just go over to Bear Creek," a park visitor said.
Despite the fact that the beach is closed for swimming, other parts of the reservoir don't have restrictions for people in the water.
"Even people tubing; if they're water skiing, they're not in the water that long, so we're not as concerned," Gregory said.
Rain clouds overhead could actually cause more problems coupled with the high temperatures.
"The rain is bringing in a lot of extra water from a lot of places. The Platte River is running really high right now; it just stirs up the water a lot, and that's probably where it's coming from," Gregory said.
Visitors aren't too concerned but hope the problem clears up quickly.
Park rangers took more samples of the water Saturday. The samples will be sent to a lab in Brighton to determine if the beach will be safe enough to open Sunday.
