E. coli threatens Cardboard Cup boat race in Crystal Lake

Cardboard Cup Regatta participants may have to lower their sails as Crystal Lake's Main Beach was closed Friday due to high E. coli levels in the water, according to McHenry County Health Department officials.

The Cup, which was slated June 27 and was rescheduled for Saturday, is an annual event to raise money for local charities. The 26th year is now being threatened by waterborne bacteria.

"I was here for 35 years, and this never happened," said Main Beach Captain Bob Novak. "But it's happened all too often the last couple of years, more than we'd like to say."

The health department's latest water samples showed E. coli levels were 488 cfu (colony forming units) per 100 mL of water in the shallow end and 326 cfu in the deep end. Advisories are issued if E. coli levels are above 126 cfu per 100 mL and closures begin at 235 cfu, according to Debra Quackenbush, spokeswoman for the health department.

The main concern, according to the health department, is beachgoers ingesting water with high bacteria levels, which can lead to gastrointestinal sickness and hospitalization.

"We want people to enjoy the beach when they go, but E. coli is not something you want to get sick with," said Quackenbush. "We make sure the samples are within safe guidelines so people don't have to worry. They can just enjoy it."

The current levels are down from Wednesday's water tests, which put the beach's shallow end at 2,419.2 cfu, resulting in the closure of Main Beach Thursday and Friday. Test results taken Friday morning will be known Saturday, as early as 9 a.m., Quackenbush said.

The levels appear to be dropping, and Cup organizers hope Saturday's results prove safe enough for competition to go on as planned. Gates are scheduled to open at 9 a.m. Saturday and racing starts at noon. If the beach remains closed, the Cup will be rescheduled for July 31.

The Crystal Lake Park District is still unsure as to the cause of the high bacteria levels, and it has hired an outside company to investigate.

"We've always had the best ratings in the country," Novak said. "We started getting bad ratings in 2008. We're very concerned and trying to be proactive."

For information about the beach reopening, visit crystallakeparks.org or call (815) 477-5404.