Every year, Clark County residents flock to Klineline Pond to cool off and catch fish. Their bodily fluids also visit the pond, sometimes leaving behind E. coli bacteria that can potentially harm other swimmers and occasionally shut down the swimming area entirely.
Though our web readers questioned water quality in the pond leading up to the Klineline Kids Fishing event this Saturday, they shouldn’t be worried, officials at Clark County Public Health said. Very few people, if any, swim in the pond while the weather is cold.
“If it was in June and July, it’s be more of a concern,” said Marty McGinn, a spokesman for the county public health department.
Starting each June, Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation and the public health department test the pond weekly and close it if there are more than 236 E. coli bacteria in a 100-milliliter sample.
“It’s tough to manage personal behavior,” said Brian Potter, a resource program adviser for the parks and recreation department. “It’s up to the individual swimmers to be conscious of how to keep that under control. If we get a high reading, we shut it down.”
Potter said that there has only been two shutdowns in the last four years. The most recent was on August 18, 2009.
A lot of the problem is younger children in the pool unable to control their bodily functions. McGinn said there are signs at the park warning people about diapers and diarrhea. The parks department also reports results to the county.
“The water play feature was to keep the smallest children out of the pond, in the hope that it would keep the water cleaner for the other swimmers,” said Potter about the park’s “sprayground,” which is also meant to prevent inexperienced swimmers from entering the pond. He added that the parks department doesn’t have the time, funding or staff to conduct a full-blown campaign to end bad practices.
The county health department offers free brochures on how to help prevent recreational water illnesses. Guidelines include not swimming when you have diarrhea, having your kids use reusable swim diapers and avoiding swallowing water. You should also change your kids’ diapers in the bathroom and not poolside; thoroughly wash with warm water and soap before and after entering the pond; and take your children for frequent bathroom breaks.
To find out more information about water quality in Klineline Pond, visit Clark County Public Health’s website on public beaches.
