LODI, Calif. — Hundreds of families circulated in and out of Lodi Lake Thursday as the city held its annual Fourth of July celebration. People have been anticipating the reopening of the park after it was closed for renovations last year, but, the problem now is that the water is not safe enough for families to enjoy.
"We stay cool, stay home with the kids and just make it happen at home," said Lodi resident Yonic Flores.
Flores and his kids were at the lake Thursday — just feet away from a beach — but the only swimming they'll be doing will be at home.
"You have so many ducks that kind of just sit there, and they tend to leave a lot of poop behind and stuff," said Flores. "It gets pretty dirty."
This week, it got too dirty. The City of Lodi said that due to the heat, somewhat stagnant water and animal waste, E. coli levels at the beach tested too high to allow swimming. Kayaks and boats are still allowed.
"We're waiting for an average — a couple of days of testing — for the bacteria to be at the level where we can allow swimming," said Christina Jaromay, Lodi's Director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services.
In the meantime, as new E. coli testing is underway, the city is celebrating.
"We haven't had any reconstruction here at Lodi Lake for over 30 years," Jaromay said. "So we were fortunate enough to get some money."
That money is going toward new parking lots and kiosks, pavement work and irrigation and turf modifications — all on display Thursday following months of construction. More improvements are on the way including a new playground and new restrooms. The project is expected to be done by fall.
"I grew up here, so it's nice to see that my kids can enjoy it and they can enjoy it in a better way," Flores said.
Even though he and his kids could only look at the water Thursday, Flores is happy to see a bit of funding making a splash at the lake.
"It's nice to see it getting fixed up and stuff. Finally, money is going into the lake," Flores said. "We have yet to take the little ones here, so we'll have to make that happen this summer."
Watch more from ABC10: Swimming banned in Lodi Lake before Fourth of July 'until further notice'
