By Alissa Widman

The Columbus Dispatch Tuesday June 26, 2012 11:57 PM

State health authorities have posted warnings at two beaches at Buckeye Lake, where E. coli levels have exceeded safety standards.

Ohio Department of Health officials say Crystal and Fairfield beaches were added to the contamination advisory list for most of June.

As of today, the states BeachGuard website listed 32 advisories for high bacteria levels. Most of the beaches are on Lake Erie.

Bacteria naturally occur in water, but high levels can make people sick, said Scott Fletcher, deputy chief for Ohios state parks.

Swimmers should use caution, but they arent prohibited from getting in the water while advisories are in effect. Children, older people and those with weak immune systems are most at risk.

We encourage people not to swim during this time, Fletcher said. If E. coli is high, we can reasonably assume other bacteria levels are high as well.

Fletcher said high temperatures and stagnant water can cause problems.

Buckeye Lake is a shallow, people-made lake, so this time of year this is very common, he said. You can draw a parallel between the lake and a Petri dish.

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E. coli alerts posted at beaches