Dakota County closes Lake Byllesby beach due to high E. coli levels

The campground and other amenities remain open at the Cannon Falls park.

September 2, 2022 at 8:43PM
The beach at Lake Byllesby Regional Park was closed Sept. 2, 2022, after tests found high levels of E.coli bacteria. (Courtesy of Dakota County/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A popular beach near Cannon Falls has been temporarily closed by Dakota County officials after high levels of E. coli bacteria were found there.

County officials posted the update about Lake Byllesby Regional Park on social media early Friday afternoon. The beach is closed until further notice.

The park's campground and other amenities, such as the picnic area, trail access and sand volleyball court, are still open.

"Dakota County will monitor water quality and will notify the public when E. coli levels are safe for beach visitors," a Facebook post said Friday.

The water is tested weekly during the summer months for E. coli, according to the Dakota County Parks website. The beach is open through Sept. 5.

One poster commented that the beach was full of families at 11:30 a.m. Friday.

For updates, visit dakotacounty.us/parks.

about the writer

Erin Adler

Reporter

Erin Adler is a suburban reporter covering Dakota and Scott counties for the Star Tribune, working breaking news shifts on Sundays. She previously spent three years covering K-12 education in the south metro and five months covering Carver County.

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