Swimmers and sunbathers rejoice—as of the latest water quality tests, it appears you can once again dip your toes into the waters of Lake Nokomis without the looming threat of blue-green algae. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) recently gave the all-clear for both the Lake Nokomis Main and Lake Nokomis 50th Street beaches, following a bout of contamination that had the local community looking rather skeptically at their once-frolicking grounds.
It's to be noted that while these advisories at Nokomis have been lifted, not all Minneapolis beaches are ready to host your weekend escapades. To put it frankly, some beaches still have some cleaning up to do. An announcement by the MPRB confirmed that water samples taken on Monday, Aug., 5 showed significant improvements in conditions since the July 31 acknowledgment of the algae's presence.
However, if you're hoping to splash elsewhere, proceed with caution. As per MPRB's latest updates, a few other local favorites such as Bde Maka Ska Main (North) Beach, Bde Maka Ska 32nd Street Beach, Lake Harriet SE Beach, and Lake Hiawatha Beach remain closed off due to E. coli exceedances—no doubt a damper on summer plans for some.
