“I still believe the geese are the source,” said City Manager Patrick Draper.
He said workers performed a dye test to see if there were any leaks in the park’s restroom sewer lines
“None of our restrooms contributed to the E.coli problem at the park,” Draper said Friday.
He did say possible upstream sources were not eliminated, but there are still plans to trap and remove geese from the park.
Draper said the U.S. Department of Agriculture will trap, and relocate the birds unharmed.
The city closed the Lakeside Park swimming area in August after water monitors with the Logan Martin Lake Protection Association found high, unsafe levels of the E.coli bacteria in the swimming area’s water.
According to an LMLPA official 600 E.coli bacteria colonies per 100 milliliters of water or more is relatively unsafe for human contact.
Water monitors found that water in the swimming area were recording colonies per 100 milliliters in the thousands, and at times the count was more than six times the level for unsafe human contact.
Draper said the city will solve the E.coli contamination problem, and the Lakeside Park swimming area will open again by spring.
“We absolutely expect to reopen the beach by next spring,” Draper said.
City officials said the city is still working on a form that residents can fill out if they want nuisances geese removed from private property. It is against the law to discharge a firearm within the city limits of Pell City without special consent of the mayor or police chief.
Draper said that is a controlled method of eliminating a nuisance problem on private property for Pell City residents.
He said under the supervision of the police department, expert or experienced hunters would eliminate nuisance geese.
Police Chief Greg Turley said the department has not received any complaints about illegal hunting within the city nor any requests by residents to eliminate nuisance geese.
Draper said the Canada Goose hunting season is open, and it is not illegal for a hunter to hunt waterfowl on the lake, just from shore, if within the Pell City city limits.
“People hunt geese on the lake,” Draper said. “I’m not aware of anybody shooting from the shore (in Pell City). Certainly, you can’t do that.”
He also said the city has not received any recent complaints about Canada geese.
A Canada goose-only season, which opened Sept. 22, ends Tuesday. Hunters are also allowed to hunt the migratory birds during the regular waterfowl season, which is set for Nov. 23-24 and Dec. 1-Jan. 27 in Alabama.
Contact David Atchison at datchison@dailyhome.com
