Cherry Creek State Park natural swim area reopened after unsafe E. coli levels found

The natural swim area at Cherry Creek State Park reopened Saturday after it was closed due to unsafe E. coli levels earlier this week.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife says that routine daily water quality testing revealed higher than allowable levels of the bacteria on Thursday morning. 

Signs were placed along the swim beach notifying park visitors about the closure. No other areas of the park were affected, according to CPW.

"While these closures are not common, we test the water often to make sure the public is safe while enjoying the reservoir," said Cherry Creek State Park Operations Manager Larry Butterfield in a statement. "The elevated bacteria levels can be caused by fecal waste from wildlife, run-off from urban areas, or excessive run-off from rain, and the park has seen heavy rainfall this year."