Good water quality on King County lakes for a fun Fourth of July

A trip to one of King County's many beautiful lakes is the perfect way to spend a warm summer day, and water quality levels look good for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.

Recent monitoring by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) shows low bacteria counts at all monitored beaches on lakes Washington, Sammamish, Rattlesnake and Green Lake, said Jonathan Frodge, DNRP senior water quality planner.

Water temperatures in area lakes are in the low to mid 60s, which is a few degrees below normal for this time of year, Frodge added.

Water sampling is conducted weekly at 21 different beaches throughout the summer by DNRP, Public Health - Seattle & King County, plus local parks departments. Samples are collected Tuesday, and results are posted on the King County Web site by Friday.

To locate a beach and find current information on water temperature and bacterial counts, visit http://green.kingcounty.gov/swimbeach/default.aspx. For water safety information, visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health.