Popular King County beaches closed for holiday weekend due to high bacteria levels in water

KIRKLAND, Wash. - Even on a cloudy day, Juanita Beach Park in Kirkland is packed, but park visitors may be disappointed this holiday weekend. The city has closed the beach because of high levels of bacteria in the water. 

John Lloyd, deputy director for parks and community services for the city of Kirkland, says the bacteria stems from fecal matter.

"Whether it's from dogs, people, ducks, it's really any number of sources," Lloyd says.

On a hot sunny weekend, the parks department says thousands of people come here to relax and cool off. With it being a holiday weekend, they expect an enormous crowd. 

"Some people will ignore us and say oh well, and other people will either have not heard or not have seen the signs and get out of the water. So it's a 50/50 mix I’d say," says Lloyd. 

If you decide to stay in the water, Lloyd says you can expect possibly itchy, irritated skin, and you could get pretty sick. Lloyd says until bacteria levels go down, it’s best to find somewhere else to take a dip. 

The water at Juanita Beach will be closed for at least the next week. Lake Wilderness Beach in Maple Valley and Newcastle Beach in Bellevue will also be closed this weekend due to high bacteria levels. 

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