Maine Healthy Beaches:

Bacteria Highs and Lows

Esperanza Stancioff, Keri Lindberg, Sarah Mosley, Paula Thomson

University of Maine Cooperative Extension/ Maine Sea Grant, State Planning Office

Maine Coastal Program

MHB Program Monitoring/Notification:

• Enterococci Bacteria as indicator species

• Enterolert Method Approved by EPA

• Results available on-line within 28 to 32 hours

• Resample occurs after an exceedance

• Advisories/closures are at the discretion of the town/state park

•Results and advisories/closures posted on the MHB website

Beach status duration

Bay View (Saco) Advisory 2

Camden Yacht Club Advisory 26

Colony Beach Advisory 5

Crescent Beach (Cape Elizabeth) Advisory 2

Ferry Beach (Saco) Advisory 4

Ferry Beach (Scarborough) Advisory 2

Fortunes Rocks Beach Advisory 1

Gooches Beach Advisory 10

Gooches Beach Closed 3

Goose Rock (Kennebunkport) Advisory 38

Hills Beach (Biddeford) Advisory 5

Lagoon Beach Advisory 3

Laite Beach Advisory 8

Laudholm Beach (WNERR-Wells) Advisory 17

Lincolnville Beach Area Advisory 1

Middle Beach (Biddeford) Advisory 1

Old Orchard Beach Advisory 2

Pine Point Advisory 5

Sea Point Beach Advisory 2

Willard Beach Closed 4

Willard Beach Advisory 6

TOTAL DAYS (2006) 147

0

50

100

150

200

2004200520062007

35

101

147

180

Advisories and Closures 2004--2007

2004

2005 2006 2007

MHB Notification Days

    

Areas Identified through MHB Program routine monitoring as needing surveys/Special Studies for ID of pollution sources and possible remediation of sources:

Kennebunk

Ogunquit

Portland

Biddeford

Kennebunkport

South Portland

Camden

Lincolnville

MDI

Collaboration Among Communities

5

Biddeford: Hills, Middle, Fortunes Rocks Beach

City Accomplishments:--Collaborative survey of Little River Watershed

--Regional GIS mapping of parcels, sewer lines, and septic system status

--Failing septic remediation (Basket Island)

--Sewer line replacement, CSO abatement

South Portland -Willard Beach:

City Accomplishments:--CSO abatement, sewer inflow reduction programs--Storm drain catch basin cleaning, drain stenciling--Public education/outreach

Sanitary Shoreline Surveys 2006

KennebunkportHotspots Assessment, Bacteria Analysis and Conclusions

(F. Dillon)

•Monitoring of Kennebunk River 05-06-07 Seasons

• Kennebunk Cons. Comm. and Wells Reserve initiated forum for citizens in watershed

• Develop a Boater’s Education Campaign-distributed 3000 brochures

• Intensive sampling, and possible Sanitary shoreline/watershed survey of the area (Summer/Fall 2007), optical brightener work

Town of Kennebunk

5

History of elevated bacteria levels at the mouth of the river and adjacent beach sample sites, especially on an outgoing tide.

Collaborative effort between MHB Program, Town of Ogunquit, Town of Wells, WNERR, ME. DMR, and MHB Program Partners.

Ogunquit River Special Study 2006-2007

Preliminary Ogunquit River Results 2006

P Slovinski; S Dickson

Maine Geologic Survey

Public Interface to MHB Data

On-Line

July 2005

Content Slide Template 3

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• Imsep pretu tempu revol bileg rokam revoc tephe rosve etepe tenov sindu queso

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© 2005 Maine Healthy Beaches

Summary for 2007

• Boater’s Education Campaign

• Fluorometry analysis in Kennebunk River w/ EPA and others

• ME Geological Survey to highlight transport and fate of contaminants in Ogunquit and Kennebunk

• Data analysis w/ EPA assistance to determine correlation of parameters influencing bacteria densities

• Additional monitoring and special studies conducted in Ogunquit, Kennebunk and Cape Neddick Rivers to assess their impact on beach water quality and investigate sources of contamination

Content Slide Template 3

• Imsep pretu tempu revol bileg rokam revoc tephe rosve etepe tenov sindu humas

turqu brevt elliu repar tiuve tamia queso utage udulc vires humus fallo 25deu Anetn

bisre freun carmi avire ingen uni.

• Imsep pretu tempu revol bileg rokam revoc tephe rosve etepe tenov sindu tur brevt

elliu repar tiuve tamia queso utage udulc vires humus fallo 25deu Anetn bisre freun

carmi avire ingen uni revol bileg rovac tenov sindu turqu brevt elliu.

• Imsep pretu tempu revol bileg rokam revoc tephe rosve etepe tenov sindu queso

utage udulc vires humus fallo 25deu turqu brevt elliu repar tiuve tamia queso utage

udulc vires queso utage udulc vires humus fallo 25deu

© 2005 Maine Healthy Beaches

For More Information:

www.MaineHealthyBeaches .orgwww.epa.gov/ost/beaches