PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
August 16, 2019
Chippewa Lake Remains Open for Normal Recreational Activities
Medina County Park District continues to monitor Chippewa Lake water conditions due to a harmful algal bloom. Test results from water samples collected on August 13 showed microcystin levels at less than 0.13 parts per billion. There are no advisories in place at this time. All normal boating, swimming and recreational activities may continue.
Medina County Park District follows Ohio’s Harmful Algal Bloom Response Strategy for Recreational Waters. For information on harmful algal blooms, please visit www.MedinaCountyParks.com. To keep up to date on Chippewa Lake water conditions, please follow the park district on social media or contact the park district at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to sign up for email alerts.
2019 Chippewa Lake Water Test Results
August 13, 2019: <0.13 ppb--No advisories in place
August 6, 2019: <0.13 ppb--No advisories in place
July 30, 2019: <0.13 ppb--No advisories in place
July 23, 2019: 0.15 ppb--No advisories in place
July 16, 2019: 0.19 ppb--No advisories in place
July 9, 2019: 2.61 ppb--No advisories in place
July 2, 2019: 0.20 ppb--No advisories in place
June 25, 2019: <0.13 ppb--All Advisories Lifted
Due to flooding at Chippewa Lake, there was no water test the week of June 17, 2019.
June 11, 2019: 3.15 ppb--Recreational Public Health Advisory Remains
June 4, 2019: 10.5 ppb--Recreational Public Health Advisory Remains
May 28, 2019: 13.6 ppb--Recreational Public Health Advisory Issued
May 21, 2019: 16.1 ppb--Elevated Recreational Public Health Advisory Remains
May 14, 2019: 21.8 ppb--Elevated Recreational Public Health Advisory Issued
May 7, 2019: 17.8 ppb--Recreational Public Health Advisory Remains
April 30, 2019: 9.49 ppb--Recreational Public Health Advisory Issued
April 22, 2019: 5.74 ppb--No advisories in place
March 19, 2019: <0.14 ppb--No advisories in place
February 19, 2019: <0.14 ppb--No advisories in place
January 22, 2019: <0.14 ppb--No advisories in place
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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
August 15, 2019
Mosquito Trapping Location Tests Positive for West Nile Virus
BRUNSWICK -- Mosquitoes trapped by the Medina County Health Department near Susan Hambley Nature Center at Brunswick Lake Park have tested positive for West Nile Virus, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
In response, the Medina County Health Department will conduct additional treatments in possible breeding locations around Brunswick Lake. Beginning today, health department staff will increase larvicide treatments in an effort to control future mosquito hatches. This includes treating catch basins with extended-release larvicide tablets and treating accessible marshy areas with a granulated formula larvicide.
The health department recommends that members of the public take the following personal protective measures to reduce the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes:
- Apply a U.S. EPA-registered insect repellent when going outdoors.
- Wear light-colored clothing, long-sleeved shirts or jackets, and long pants to protect against mosquito bites.
- Consider avoiding outdoor activities during peak mosquito biting hours.
Mosquitoes become infected with West Nile Virus when they feed on infected birds. Infected mosquitoes can then spread the virus to humans and other animals when they bite, potentially causing serious illness.
To learn more about mosquito control and your health, please visit the Medina County Health Department at https://medinahealth.org/home/mosquito-control-your-health/ or the Ohio Department of Health at https://odh.ohio.gov.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
June 28, 2019
Chippewa Lake Reopened to the Public
Chippewa Lake has been reopened following water testing by the Medina County Health Department that shows levels of E. coli bacteria present in the lake are within an acceptable range for public safety.
Per United States Environmental Protection Agency standards, the single sample maximum for E. coli bacteria content is 235 colony forming units (cfu) per 100mL of water tested. Test results released today from water samples taken at three sites on June 26 found the levels of E. coli listed below. Measurements are reported in most probable number (mpn) per 100mL, which is statistically equivalent to colony forming units.
Chippewa Lake Beach: 125 mpn
Gloria Glens Beach: 28 mpn
Public Boat Ramp: 42 mpn
For information on E. coli and public safety, please visit the Ohio Department of Health website at www.odh.ohio.gov.
Chippewa Lake was closed June 16 after heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding within the watershed. In keeping with a longstanding safety protocol implemented by the villages of Chippewa Lake and Gloria Glens, the Medina County Health Department, Medina County Sanitary Engineer, and the park district, the lake remained closed after the flood event until testing for the presence of E. coli bacteria could be completed.
In addition, Medina County Park District continues to monitor Chippewa Lake water conditions due to a harmful algal bloom. Test results from water samples taken on June 25 found algal toxin levels of less than 0.13 parts per billion. Because two consecutive samples taken at least one week apart show levels below a threshold of 6 ppb, a Recreational Public Health Advisory has been lifted. All normal boating, swimming and recreational activities may resume.
Medina County Park District follows Ohio’s Harmful Algal Bloom Response Strategy for Recreational Waters. For information on harmful algal blooms, please visit www.MedinaCountyParks.com. To keep up to date on Chippewa Lake water conditions, please follow the park district on social media or contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to sign up for email alerts.
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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
May 23, 2019
Leash Rules Protect People, Pets, and Wildlife
With Memorial Day weekend heralding the unofficial start of summer, more visitors will be enjoying Medina County parks with their four-footed friends. It’s a good time for a reminder that dogs (and cats) are permitted in the parks only if they are controlled at all times on a leash no longer than eight feet. It’s a rule strictly enforced by park rangers.
While a dog’s owner may know his/her pet is friendly, a loose dog can be unwelcome and even alarming to other park guests -- especially to a child. Even when it seems like there are few other visitors in the park, and it’s tempting to let a dog off its leash for just a while, pet owners never know when another hiker will unexpectedly round the corner into their path.
Leash rules also protect park residents. No matter how good-natured a dog may be, it’s always going to be perceived as a threat by wildlife. All it takes is one encounter between a dog and a bird searching for a nesting site to send that bird flying elsewhere. A loose dog can scare away migrating waterfowl and songbirds looking for a place to rest and refuel before continuing their journey. That means fewer birds and other animals in the parks, leading to fewer visitors traveling to see them. Because Medina County parks are popular destinations for photographers and birders from around the region, fewer visitors can even have a negative impact on the local economy.
Leashed dogs are permitted at all Medina County Park District sites with the exception of wildlife sanctuaries. Currently, that applies only to Alderfer-Oenslager Wildlife Sanctuary, the home of Wolf Creek Environmental Center.
Don’t forget there’s one place where pets are welcome to run leash-free: the dog park at Carolyn Ludwig Mugrage Park. There’s a six-acre fenced area for big dogs and a separate one-acre fenced section for small dogs. Pets can play in the pond and follow their noses through the woods to their heart’s content.
It’s easy to rationalize that there’s no harm in letting one dog run loose in one park. What visitors may not stop to consider is the cumulative negative effect on visitors and wildlife when multiple pet owners do the same thing. The park district asks dog owners to respect the park experiences of others by properly leashing -- and cleaning up after -- their pets.
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