JEFFERSON CITY, MO. (AP) -- Newly released Missouri water records show a spike this year in high bacteria levels at the Lake of the Ozarks.
The state has two public beaches at the sprawling lake.
Results from E. coli tests in 2009 were high enough that beaches should have been closed 11 times since May.
That's nearly double the number of times beaches were to be closed at the Lake of the Ozarks from 2003 until 2008.
Bacteria also was high enough for eight other beach closings at other Missouri waterways in 2009.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources recorded water test results from 15 parks this year.
Beaches are supposed to be closed when single samples or the average of recent tests hit a certain threshold.
(Copyright ©2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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