Mosquito official disputes lake warning

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The health commissioner said he doesn't know where the water sample was collected.

By ED RUNYAN

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

WARREN — Two Trumbull County Health Board officials are calling the water in Mosquito Lake unsafe for boating, fishing or swimming, but a park official says their statements are incorrect.

Dr. James Enyeart, the county's health commissioner said he stands by statements made by Frank Migliozzi, Dr. Enyeart's director of environmental health, at a county planning commission meeting Sept. 1 that people should not use the lake for recreation because of contamination that was measured in a water sample taken about two weeks ago.

Minutes from a meeting of the commission's comprehensive planning committee attributed the following comments to Migliozzi: "Nobody should have direct contact with [Mosquito Lake] water, including boating, fishing or swimming."

The meeting was part of a project called "Blueprint Trumbull County," started by Commissioner Dan Polivka to help find solutions for property owners facing the cost of replacing antiquated septic systems countywide. Among the non-sewered areas in the county is the Lakeshore neighborhood on the west side of the lake.

Dr. Enyeart, who also attended the meeting, stopped short of saying notices should be posted to warn bathers, boaters or fishermen of danger. He said that job belongs to park management, who conduct more extensive testing than the health department.

"You don't rely on one sample of water," Dr. Enyeart said and added, "If that water is going to be used for recreation, it needs to be monitored and posted like any other lake."

When asked how serious the contamination should be taken by people using the lake for recreation, he added, "The data has to speak for itself."

Rocco Greco, manager of Mosquito Lake State Park, said the testing park officials do twice per month indicates the water is fine and that there have been no reports about people getting ill from pathogens in the water.

"It seems it would show up there if there was a problem," he said.

Greco said there have been no "real high counts" in any of the tests his office has conducted in the past couple of years, but added, "It depends on where you take the test."

He said if one were to test the water near the Lakeshore neighborhood, it might come back worse than the beach area. He said park personnel only test the water at the beach.

"If you're safe to swim at the beach, I would think you would be safe at the other parts of the lake," Greco said. "I don't think they should put people in a panic over the condition of the water."

The health commissioner said he doesn't know where the water sample was collected except that he asked for it to be from "off the shore." He said he didn't know the number of colonies per unit of fecal coliform found in the sample, only that it exceeded what is safe for recreation.

Dr. Enyeart said people have tried to argue that fecal coliform comes from wildlife and not humans, but he believes a "significant" percentage of the contamination comes from human waste coming from Lakeshore.

Though a public hearing took place last month on a sewer project to replace leaking septic systems there. Dr. Enyeart said the project is "not going lickety split," and he wants to be sure the project stays on course.

Gary Newbrough, county sanitary engineer, said the Lakeshore sewer project was approved by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency recently and should be on the commissioners' agenda for final approval in the coming weeks.

runyan@vindy.com

Monday, September 11, 2006