[quote]A grocery sack containing what appeared to be human feces hung from a branch over the American River, a short boat ride upstream from one of Sacramento’s most popular summertime swimming areas.
Nearby, a makeshift toilet was perched over a hole in the sand, feet from the waterline and a short walk from a couple of tents and a man washing a shirt in the river.
“Depends on my mood, but if I have to go, I pop a squat,” said another nearby homeless man, before paddling away in a blue kayak.
The scenes on the American late last month illustrate an ongoing public health and environmental crisis in one of the two rivers that flow through California’s capital city. As Sacramento’s homeless population grows, the encampments and lack of public bathrooms for the people who live along the banks have created a risk of disease, public health data and interviews show.
A Sacramento Bee investigation found high levels of E. coli bacteria — a sign of fecal contamination — along the lower stretch of the American, where homeless camps line the banks, residents walk their dogs, and where thousands of swimmers dip into the water to escape Sacramento’s summer heat.
Water samples reviewed by The Bee showed dangerous E. coli spikes this summer when swimmers were present at Tiscornia Beach, a popular summertime gathering spot where the American and Sacramento rivers converge north of downtown. There, a swirling effect from the currents causes any bacteria washing from upstream to linger.[/quote]
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/sacramento-tipping-point/article234440612.html
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