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As Testing Expands, Water Improves

August 11, 2009 - KENNEBUNK -- When Tina Radel moved from the New Jersey shore to Kennebunk three years ago, the last thing she expected was having to keep her children out of polluted beach water.

"Coming from there to here, you think it's going to be pristine," she said.

Gooch's Beach isn't quite pristine, and heavy rains caused a few pollution advisories here this summer. But Gooch's is one of several Maine beaches that are less polluted today thanks to a six-year-old statewide monitoring program and state and local cleanup efforts.

"It's significantly improved," said Keri Lindberg, coordinator of the Maine Healthy Beaches program.

At the same time, the expanding testing program continues to reveal contamination in new places, especially after heavy rain like Maine experienced in June and July. High bacteria counts turned up in Old Orchard Beach and York Harbor this summer, Lindberg said.

"This has been the most challenging year for water quality that we've ever had," she said.

A decade ago, no one was testing water quality at the vast majority of Maine beaches, or warning swimmers that heavy rain was flushing bacteria and other potentially harmful pollution into the surf.

New Jersey, for example, had been testing beach water since the 1980s, but it was widely assumed that the ocean was clean along Maine's shore.

Today, 60 Maine beach areas are tested, most of them on a weekly basis, and the results are posted at the beaches and online at mainehealthybeaches.org.

A test that shows 104 Enterococci bacteria per 100 milliliters of sample water could lead to an advisory against contact with the water, although the decision about whether to post a warning also is based on the history of the area and the time of the last rainfall. Swimming in contaminated water can cause diarrhea, vomiting or sinus infections, as well as skin, ear, respiratory, eye and wound infections.

After six years of testing, it's clear that Maine's water can be pretty dirty, depending on how much rain falls during beach season.

"This program is really helping communities find out if there are problems," Lindberg said. "Generally, water quality is very good in Maine, but it's a good rule of thumb to stay out of the water during and after rainfall. ... It's not the rain itself, it's what the rain is carrying."

Gooch's experienced a rash of high bacteria counts from 2005 to 2007 because of pollutants being flushed into the water by rainstorms. The potential culprits ranged from duck excrement to boat discharges to malfunctioning septic tanks along the Kennebunk River, which empties into the ocean just north of the beach.

Officials with Maine Healthy Beaches and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection will be back on the river Thursday as part of an ongoing study to determine whether the bacteria washing downriver is coming from human waste or animal waste, then find the sources.

The high bacteria counts prompted efforts to divert stormwater and educate residents about maintaining septic systems.

"We're doing all we can," said Brian Costello, Kennebunk's parks and recreation director and beach manager.

The work is credited with cleaning up the water and reducing the need to post advisories in the past two years.

Radel has noticed the improvement, she said, and she took her children to Gooch's on Tuesday with no reservations about the water.

Her children clearly weren't worried, as they dug in the sand and played in the waves. Asked whether the water seemed clean, 7-year-old Sean Radel was unequivocal. "Yeah, no seaweed," he said.

Maine Healthy Beaches is federally funded and is part of a nationwide effort to clean up beach water.

An annual review of water quality released last week by the Natural Resources Defense Council showed some progress nationwide. It also called for improvements, such as better testing that can be done more frequently and give immediate results.

Tests are generally done weekly and results are posted the next day, often after bacteria levels have fallen.

Not everyone has been thrilled with the testing of Maine beach water.

High levels of bacteria contamination at Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport made the "Today" show on NBC five years ago, said Judy Barrett, the town's public health administrator and beach manager. Business owners complained about scaring tourists, beach property owners wanted tax rebates and renters wanted refunds, she said.

Since, the town and the state have tracked down sources and educated residents about maintaining septic tanks, keeping pet waste out of storm drains and cutting back on lawn fertilizers, she said. As a result, the water is much cleaner than it was before the testing began, she said.

"I don't think we can be ostriches with our heads in the sand," Barrett said. "The state of Maine has come a long way."

By JOHN RICHARDSON, Staff Writer, Portland Press Herald, August 5, 2009


Lakes:
Regions: Sebago, Sanford, Mid Coast


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