The beach at Marina Park reopened to swimming on Friday, July 1 after King County officials discovered high levels of Fecal Coliform Bacteria in the water, prompting a week-long closure.

Kathy Cummings, Communications Program Manager for the City of Kirkland, said the county is still testing the water to determine the source of the bacteria.

In a news release on July 1, the city said testing on June 29 and 30 indicated the bacteria levels had dropped, which led county health officials to reopen the beach for humans and animals.

But fecal matter might not be the most dangerous thing to swimmers over the weekend as boating traffic heats up for Independence Day, especially during the evening fireworks on Monday.

Cummings said the city typically doesn’t encourage swimming at Marina Park Beach because of the number of boats, and directed swimmers to other parks around the area: Houghton Beach, Waverly Beach and Juanita Beach. All three locations have lifeguards, and the Marina Park fireworks can be viewed from most waterfront parks in city limits.

Cummings noted a recent renovation at Waverly Beach Park, which includes a newly resurfaced dock, picnic structure and a play area for kids.

For more information on fun Fourth of July ideas, check out the Reporter’s story in print on Friday.