Matthews Beach – the closest Lake Washington beach to Maple Leaf and one of the busiest swimming beaches in the city – was abruptly closed Friday afternoon when fecal coliform levels were found to have soared into the red zone.
From Seattle Parks:
On a recommendation from Public Health – Seattle & King County, Seattle Parks and Recreation has closed Matthews Beach Friday, Aug. 1, 2014. Routine weekly water quality testing revealed that the bacteria levels in the water were too high for swimming.
The water will be tested again on Monday and the beach could re-open as early as Wednesday, Aug. 6.
This could be similar to a closure in 2004 when our news partner The Seattle Times wrote: “Matthews Beach Park in North Seattle was found to contain high amounts of aqueous sewage pollution — likely from geese and other animals — prompting officials to close the beach until the bacteria level drops to a safe standard.”
For updated information, including this chart: http://green.kingcounty.gov/swimbeach/BeachData.aspx?locator=0818SB&CurrentYear=true
