OLCOTT, N.Y. (WKBW) — Olcott Beach hasn't been able to catch a break since opening up to the public for the summer season.
For the fifth time this summer, Olcott Beach has been closed down by the Niagara County Department of Health because of an E. coli outbreak. This is obviously unsafe for people to interact with because E. coli can cause the following symptoms.
- Sever stomach cramps
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- High fever
Although most people can recover within a week, it's still something that's worrisome. With that, you would think it would affect local businesses near the beach. Without the beach, no beach traffic, which could lead to less customers at some of the shops, right?
Karen Young, Owner of Gift Box at the beach, said otherwise.
"We have no problems here. We're open seven days a week," Young said.
What's interesting is every time the water is closed off to the public, it's never been on the weekend. In fact, the county's E. coli testing happens Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This means that if the beach is closed during the week, they retest right before the weekend.
"We have not had it closed on the weekends. It was open Saturday and Sunday, which are obviously the busiest times," Young said.
And even for people that want that access to water, but can't go to the beach, Young said that doesn't discourage people from coming to Olcott.
"For people that need to cool off, there's a splash pad that's open 7 days a week. It is frustrating to hear the negativity because Olcott is great, whether the beach is open or not," Young said.
