Metro

The Tatman Run Beach is closed at Raystown Lake, Huntingdon, due to a high level of E. coli bacteria found in a recent water sample taken from the swimming area.

The announcement was posted Wednesday on the Facebook page of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Raystown Lake Project.

The post states that the beach will be reopened when results are cleared for public access and the bacteria level is back within the “safe” range for swimming.

While swimming is prohibited, the boat launch and picnic shelter will remain open and the area will be open for day-use, the Corps stated.

It’s not unusual for levels of bacteria to fluctuate daily in bodies of fresh water like Raystown Lake — depending on precipitation, inflow, presence of humans and waterfowl, etc. — the post states. The levels can vary greatly from place to place in the same body of water and it is a common misconception that if one area on a lake has elevated bacteria levels, then the whole lake is unsafe.

“Although we do not know the exact source causing the high E. coli levels at Tatman currently, we suspect it could be a result of runoff caused by recent heavy rain events,” the post states.

Safety inspections and water tests are conducted weekly at both Seven Points Beach and Tatman Run Beach.