Glenwood City pool closed temporarily

GLENWOOD CITY — As a precaution, the Glenwood City swimming pool was temporarily closed last Thursday, June 29 after two cases of Crytosporidiosis were reported in St. Croix County.

Glenwood City clerk-treasurer Shari Rosenow, who also serves as the pool’s director, was notified of the cases last week by the St. Croix County Health Department. Rosenow said that the City voluntarily closed the pool as a precaution until it could be tested for the Cryptosporidium parasite and cleared.

Rosenow said that she was contacted last Wednesday, June 28 by an individual with the County’s Health Department about the reported cases. Although the health department official she spoke to could not provide Rosenow with specifics of the cases due to the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Account Act (HIPPA) which limits access to private medical records and histories, the City felt it was best to close the local pool until it could be tested and the results learned.

According to Rosenow, the testing was completed Thursday, June 29 and the pool closure was posted by the health department. As of Wednesday morning, July 5, Rosenow had not received the full results of the test but there have been no reported illnesses linked to the pool.

The Glenwood City pool is a natural, spring-fed pond that is treated chemically with chlorine each year during the period when it is open to the public. The pool is also drawn down each spring and throughly cleaned prior to its opening. 

Crytosporidium, a single-cell protozoan parasite, is resistant to chlorine according to the health department official Rosenow spoke with. The most common symptom of Cryptosporidiosis is diarrhea and abdominal cramping and may also include nausea, vomiting, fever, headache and loss of appetite.