The Naperville Park District has responded to concerns from residents about the color of the water at Centennial Beach, assuring the public that it is safe to swim there.
Increase in algae growth, but Centennial Beach safe for swimming
The coloring of the water had been questioned online by a number of social media users earlier in the week, with some saying it seemed more green than normal. The district noted in a news release on Wednesday that it had received comments and questions from residents about the same.
In the news release, the district said, “The recent lack of rain and warm temperatures have led to an increase in algae growth in many bodies of water, including Centennial Beach, which caused the water to become greener in color earlier in the week. Centennial Beach staff continues to monitor the water quality, and all tests have shown normal results and that it is safe for swimming.”
The park district noted that Centennial Beach will sometimes get algae during the course of the summer swim season, due to its nature of being a beach rather than a pool.
“The 6.2 million gallons of water are chlorinated, re-circulated, and hand skimmed to remove debris, but as a large body of water the Beach is not filtered like a typical swimming pool,” the district said.
The district said it is taking steps to mitigate the algae in an effort to discourage any further growth.
Play features typically have slightly darker colored water
The park district also took the opportunity to address the water within the play features looking darker in color.
In the news release, the district noted that sand from the beach typically mixes with the system at the play features, making the water there discolored. But they assured the public that it was still safe as well, saying “The water play features water is also monitored daily by the Park District and all tests have shown normal results.”
Note: Centennial Beach photo above is FILE image from previous year
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