Officials testing local waters on regular basis

With temperatures expected to soar into the 90s all week, many area residents are seeking relief at local beaches but there have already been numerous beach closings and warnings posted on the North Shore due to high bacteria levels and local public health officials are scrambling to test water sometimes on a daily basis.Nahant Health Agent John Coulon said he tests the water at six locations in Nahant once a week throughout the summer unless the results necessitate additional testing.”State law requires weekly testing unless a beach shows it has gone three years without exceeding established standards,” he said. “I don’t think there are any beaches in this area that have an exception. It is common for (exceeded levels to occur) due to storm water runoff in this area so most communities test weekly.”Coulon said once water samples are obtained, the results have to be sent to a Department of Environmental Protection certified laboratory and it’s a waiting game.”It takes approximately 24 hours to obtain the results from the time the laboratory receives the sample,” he said. “If a sample comes back positive we close the beach and immediately draw another sample that is sent for processing. I would test daily if I have to until the beach is reopened.”Swampscott Director of Public Health Jeffrey Vaughan said he also tests the beaches in town every Wednesday and when there is a high bacteria count he tests almost every day until the water quality falls within acceptable levels.Coulon pointed out the Department of Conservation and Recreation is responsible for testing Long Beach, Nahant Beach Reservation, Kings Beach in Lynn and Breakheart Reservation in Saugus.DCR Press Secretary Wendy Fox said the state tests beaches on the North Shore weekly, which is in accordance with DPH guidelines.”If the water tests positive for high bacteria levels then we test daily,” she said. “Unlike some communities we don’t actually close the beaches. We advise people not to come into contact with the water and post warning signs urging people not to swim.”Fox said people can call the DCR hotline at 617-626-4972 anytime to find out what DCR beaches have high bacteria levels.Marblehead Public Health Director Wayne Attridge said he tests seven swimming areas in Marblehead every Wednesday.”Once a beach closes I test daily until it opens unless an extended period of bad weather is forecast,” he said. “We don’t test a closed beach daily when bad weather is predicted because the weather can play a great role in determining test results.”Attridge said many times the high bacteria levels at area beaches are due to storm water runoff.”A lot of things factor into this but a lot of rain is a big factor,” he said. “On the data collection sheet we note the weather conditions, whether there are dogs on the beach, the presence of a lot of seagulls and other factors that could affect water quality.”Attridge said onshore winds tend to keep the storm water runoff near the swimming areas, which could result in elevated bacteria levels for a longer period of time.As of Tuesday afternoon, Kings Beach in Lynn had posted warnings that water contact could cause illness due to high bacteria levels.