Goose waste creates unsafe beach conditions for McLean County swimmers [Video]

HUDSON (25News Now) – Canadian Geese have taken over a beach for swimmers in McLean County, forcing it to close just weeks before summer.

Comlara Park’s F.R Glasener Beach in rural Hudson closed on Tuesday after water samples showed an unsafe level of E. coli, which staff believe is caused by goose droppings.

Every two weeks, the McLean County Parks and Recreation Department sends water samples to the Illinois Department of Public Health for testing.

The IDPH states that an acceptable level of E. coli in swimming water is 235 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters. The Glasener Beach samples showed 272 units, forcing a temporary shutdown.

The state’s health department warns symptoms of an E. coli infection can include flu-like symptoms such as diarrhea, bloody stool, and abdominal cramps.

Parks and Rec. Director Mike Steffa said his department has never received a report of an E. coli infection after swimming in the pond despite …