High Bacteria levels Hit N.H., Maine Coast
Pastor Dale Morgan
Aug 20, 11:01 AM EDT
*High Bacteria levels Hit N.H., Maine Coast*
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) -- This summer has seen a record number of
warnings about bacteria at coastal beaches in New Hampshire and Maine.
"The record was maybe three postings in a year. This year, we've already
had six postings," said Jody Connor of the New Hampshire Department of
Environmental Services. He says heavy rains this year are likely to
blame for the high bacteria levels.
Maine officials as of late July had issued more beach closures and
advisories than they had for all of last summer. There were high
bacteria counts at several southern Maine beaches even though the area
did not get significant rainfall.
Environmental officials say unusually high tides that flush pollutants
from salt marshes may explain why many beaches in Maine and other New
England states were posted with health advisories or closed last month.
The so-called spring tides that occur during a full or new moon are
known to wash pollutants from salt marshes into the surf zones of
beaches, said Matthew Liebman, a biologist with the Environmental
Protection Agency's New England office.
In New Hampshire, the six warnings applied to only 15 saltwater beaches
which are tested about twice a week.
Another 165 freshwater beaches at lakes, rivers and ponds are tested
monthly and warnings have also been posted at several of those sites at
various times this summer.
Current water-quality tests measure levels of enterococci in saltwater
and E.coli in freshwater. Swimming in water with high levels of such
bacteria can cause vomiting, cramps, skin rashes and eye and ear infections.
Richard Langan, co-director of the University of New Hampshire's
Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology
said enterococci and E.coli can come from human sewage or from animals
that defecate near the water, but the human sources pose the greatest
danger.
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Under the current system, water is tested for bacteria by taking samples
from the beach back to a laboratory. Technicians filter the samples and
wait 24 hours to see how many bacteria colonies have grown in the water.
But Langan's institute is looking at new ways to cut down on the testing
time. A recent study has highlighted the potential of two new testing
systems that are 80 percent accurate and deliver results within four
hours. The study focused on California beaches but Langan says accurate
and fast water-quality tests are just as important to coastal
communities in New Hampshire and Maine.
"Not just here in New England, but throughout the country, beach
closures are a significant problem that appear to be getting worse,"
Langan said.
He said the new methods are promising, but further studies are needed
before public health officials could rely on the tests to monitor state
beaches.
Years down the road when technology improves, Langan said, it might be
possible to create a dipstick that would read bacteria levels in the
water within minutes.
"The faster you get results, the better off you are in closing the
beach," he said. "With the Internet, someone could then upload the data
immediately and let people know whether a beach is safe."
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Information from: Portsmouth Herald, http://www.seacoastonline.com