Lake Closed for E. Coli Investigation Reopens to all but Swimming

The lake at Cowans Gap State Park in Fulton County has reopened to fishing and boating, two weeks after it was closed for investigation of E. coli cases among people who reported swimming there.  The lake is still closed to swimming.

The lake was reopened after an investigation and widespread water testing failed to uncover the bacteria linked to 15 cases of the illness.  Officials say the illnesses resulted specifically from swimming, so they feel there’s no current health threat associated with other activities on the lake.

Testing did show the presence of E. coli in raw, untreated water from one of the wells at the park. However, it was not the same strain linked to the illnesses. The well was shut down temporarily and large-scale chlorination was undertaken.

Health officials still caution against drinking untreated water and they saw fish caught at the lake should be cooked and handled properly.