Swimming is once again off-limits at Lakewood Park in Waterbury due to high bacteria levels in the water.
Mayor Neil O’Leary made the announcement Saturday on Facebook. No swimming will be allowed at the park until bacteria levels return to normal. The lake will be retested on Monday.
This is the third time so far this summer that the park has been closed to swimming. One Waterbury alderman told NBC Connecticut geese might be part of the problem.
“You can actually smell the turds as the wind blows,” said Alderman Vernon Matthews (R - District 2).
Matthews said the park has issues with bacteria levels every single year.
The city’s public works department said the water is tested twice a week and the sand is raked several times a day to help manage goose droppings. Coyote decoys, bitter grass planted next to the beach, noise-makers, and strobe lights haven’t been a successful deterrent for the birds.
Leaders are exploring other options to control the problem.
