Fourth of July weekend in the Treasure Valley normally revolves around water, whether it's floating the river or getting soaked at the We the People Liberty Day Parade.

With the Boise River closed to floaters, many Treasure Valley residents turned to Quinn's Pond and the other ponds around Esther Simplot Park to cool down.  Well, even though temps have been consistently in the 90s the past few days, the beaches have looked pretty bare.

Why? Because last Wednesday, a test of the ponds' water indicated that the levels of E. coli bacteria in the water were too high, making it unsafe for swimmers, floaters and paddle boarders.

Officials say that E. coli contamination is usually caused by feces in the water and they sent water samples off to Florida for DNA testing to find out whether the bacteria came from a human or animal.

The results are in and according to Channel 2, the source of the contamination came from dog poop in the water.

That means there's good news and bad news about the ponds.  The good news? The water quality is now safe for swimmers at Quinn's Pond and it has reopened.  The pond on the other side of Esther Simplot Park is still closed.

The bad news? Dogs are now banned from the from both surrounding parks in order to keep the water safe for swimmers.  The combination of pets in the water and high temps lead to public health concerns. The furry friend ban only applies is in effect until weather starts to cool off (November 1st - February 28th.)

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