The beach at Beltzville State Park closed six times this summer because of high bacteria counts in water samples.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officials said feces from molting geese were causing bacteria. Large flocks overgraze on nearby food sources, causing an excess in excrement, which can wash into the water after heavy rainfall.This is precisely what DCNR believes occurred at the park.When the rain is followed by hot and sunny weather, the water's temperature rises, also contributing to a change in its nutrients.The beach closed for the first time in early June and had already closed three times by July 4.Terry Brady, deputy press secretary for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said, "Certainly there is something going on there that wasn't going on last year."