(Radio Iowa) – The state says swimming is not advised at Pine Lake State Park in Hardin County due to high E-coli levels, while two public beaches at Storm Lake in Buena Vista County also exceed the state’s advisory threshold for the bacteria. That makes a total of 12 state park beach advisories issued so far this year. Daniel Kendall, the Iowa D-N-R’s lake and beach monitoring coordinator, says people should enjoy Iowa’s lakes and rivers, but he strongly recommends wearing life jackets.

People most at risk of getting sick are children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with underlying medical conditions, like cancer and diabetes. During the summer months, Iowa D-N-R staff collect water samples each week at 40 beaches to monitor for harmful bacteria and blue-green algae toxins. The DNR Beach Monitoring Website and Hotline are updated on Fridays.