Planned openings of Lake of the Ozarks, Cuivre River state parks’ swimming beaches postponed

Hermitage Beach at Pomme de Terre State Park temporarily closed

              JEFFERSON CITY, MO., MAY 25, 2011 – The planned openings of three Missouri State Parks swim beaches have been temporarily postponed and a fourth beach has been temporarily closed to the public following recent water samples that indicated elevated bacteria levels.

 The openings of the two swimming beaches at Lake of the Ozarks State Park and the beach at Cuivre River State Park, scheduled for this weekend, have been postponed. Hermitage Beach at Pomme de Terre State Park, which opened last weekend, has been temporarily closed.  However, the Pittsburg Beach at Pomme de Terre State Park remains open. Two boat ramps at Pomme de Terre State Park are currently closed due to high water levels.  Visitors may check with the park or the website for additional information on current closings.

The water at all designated beaches in the state park system is sampled weekly during the recreation season by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to determine suitability for swimming. Water samples are taken to check for E. coli, a common indicator species for bacteria. Samples taken Monday at the parks listed above indicated bacteria levels higher than those recommended for waters used for swimming.

            Higher bacteria levels are often associated with heavy rains that result in runoff from adjacent lands. Once tests indicate the bacteria levels are within the standard suitable for swimming, the beach will reopen.  All other facilities at these parks remain open and available to the public.

Information about current status of beaches is available on the website at http://bit.ly/MoStateParksBeachStatus as well as mostateparks.com. Signs indicating the status of the beaches are posted at the beaches as well.

            For more information about Missouri state parks and historic sites and swimming beaches, visit mostateparks.com.