Recent flooding resulting from excessive rainfall in recent days may tempt some individuals to swim in the overflow, but caution is being advised against the practice due to potential health concerns.
"From a basic, practical public health approach, it's never recommended to swim in flood waters, period," stated Kevin Lowrance, administrator of the Audrain City-County Health Unit. "There are too many potential contaminants that are generated. Flooding from sewage systems and everything carries bacteria with it. And you've got waterborne diseases that are associated with standing water. So public health would never recommend that it's good practice to swim in flood runoff and standing pools of water left over from a flood."