CHICO — Despite community concern over a possible shigella infection in Sycamore Pool, city officials assure it is safe to swim at the One-Mile Recreation Area of Bidwell Park. The city of Chico said it received reports of social media posts alleging the contamination of the Sycamore Pool with shigella. The city confirmed negative results for coliform bacteria through an Instagram post on Friday.
Erik Gustafson, the city’s Public Works director of Operations and Maintenance, said weekly tests are done on Tuesdays and third-party labs are utilized to avoid bias. The city tests the pool’s water for coliform bacteria, which include fecal coliform and E. coli.
However, the city does not test for shigella, another coliform bacterium, and is still researching on a testing solution that can. “If there is a test available for open water, we’ll gladly utilize it. But as far as we know now, there’s not,” Gustafson said.
“Public Health knows of none, and the several of the labs and samplers that we use here in Chico that are state certified also do not know of one that’s available yet.” Being a natural body of water without chlorine treatment, Gustafson said the pool is expected to have a natural amount of bacteria in it. In the city’s most recent published test from July 3, results show that the total coliform count in the upstream and downstream sections were greater than 2419 Most Probable Number per 100 milliliters.
However, the E.coli counts were at 111 MPN/100ml and 144 MPN/100ml, making them less than the 320 MPN/100 ml threshold. While Gustafson understands the public’s concern over hygiene and safety, he assures there’s no reason to believe it’s unsafe to swim at Sycamore and that if there’s any changes, the public would be notified.
Lisa Almaguer, public information officer for Butte County Public Health, said her department has not received any information or reports of an outbreak associated with the Sycamore Pool. Chico resident Tori Rivera last went swimming in Sycamore Pool around July 14. After a few days, Rivera said she experienced diarrhea and vomiting.
“I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t get comfortable. I was up and down in the bathroom all night,” Rivera said.
Rivera said she and a family member got shigella; however, she also said there were other family members who swam with her and didn’t get sick. “I’ve never had an issue with One-Mile. We love the One-Mile.
We just wish it was kept up better,” Rivera said. “I had to take almost a week off of work because I was so sick.” Lindsay Briggs, a professor of public health at Chico State, said she understands people have good intentions when bringing concerns online.
However, she emphasized that circulating unconfirmed information can do more damage than good. Living in the area since 2011, Briggs said there is always a panic that Sycamore Pool is contaminated. Related Articles Parking rules OK’d on street at One-Mile Chico council votes to close lower Bidwell Park roads to cars Restoration project begins at Bidwell Mansion | Photo Cars in the park? Just park ’em | Editorial Upper Bidwell Park lot closing for paving “I think putting a focus on Sycamore Pool really does a disservice to a lot of people.
It’s a beautiful community resource,” Briggs said. Briggs said homeless people and the low-income community are most affected by the comments being made about the pool. Considering it as one of the best and free resources that Chico has to offer, Briggs said it makes those who have relied on this pool to be fearful.
In addition, Briggs said that stating that the pool is contaminated without confirmation can create greater stigma. “But so often we take the shortcut of poor people or unhoused people are dirty, gross and unsanitary, which leads to stigma and these sort of overwhelming pushes of community sort of ire against poor people, against unhoused people, when really it’s not the people’s fault, it’s the conditions,” Briggs said..
