If you’re thinking of cooling off by taking a dip at our local bathing beach this week, you’ll be glad to know that the county says the water there is safe for recreation.

Once a week the county tests all swimming areas along the lake to make sure they don’t contain any dangerous levels of bacteria. The latest test at Madrona Beach was taken on Tuesday, and showed zero counts of E. Coli and Fecal Coliform, two common types of bacteria that can make people sick.

The report also shows that the current water temperature is a refreshing 64.4 degrees F.

Madrona beach was the cleanest of any beaches in the area. Here’s the fecal coliform counts for other nearby options:

• Madison Park Beach – 4
• Mount Baker Beach – 34
• Seward Park – 58

Those values are all within the “Low Concern” range. Fecal coliform counts have to reach a mean of 200 or a single test above 400 before a beach is closed by the county.

Coliform counts are important as they are an indicator of sewage contamination or pollution from animal waste. With many combined sewer overflow locations along the lake, any recent pollution from those sources would show up in the weekly tests.