LACONIA — City beaches emerged from the first round of state water testing with flying colors, but one beach in Gilford was found to exceed the standard for fecal bacteria.
Samples collected Tuesday at the Ellacoya State Park recreational vehicle beach found elevated bacteria counts, Amanda McQuaid, of the state Department of Environmental Services, said Wednesday.
An advisory was put in place warning people against swimming there pending further testing.
Earlier this summer, a similar problem was found at the state park’s main beach.
Other samples were collected Tuesday in Laconia at The Weirs, Opechee Point, Bond Beach and Bartlett Beach. No problems were noted in those locations.
Officials from the city of Laconia initially requested that the state not test its beaches this year, and then agreed to testing but requested it be done after the 4th of July holiday weekend.
Another round of testing is planned next month.
No sampling was done at Laconia’s Opechee Cove Beach, which has a perennial high level of E. coli bacteria. This fecal bacteria can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or fever.
An advisory against swimming at the beach remains in effect for the summer based on recurrent previous advisories at that location, where there appears to be a high number of geese and an abundance of their droppings.
On June 29, the state issued an advisory for the Weirs Channel for a possible toxin-producing cyanobacteria blooms accumulating between Paugus Bay and Lake Winnipesaukee. The channel is close to a popular swimming beach.
McQuaid said the bloom of cyanobacteria, which is a blue-green algae, appears to be resolving itself.
“It did sort of get to the beach, but it wasn’t in high concentrations,” she said. “It did seem to flush through.
“It’s likely dying and decaying and sinking to the bottom.”
People who drink or swim in water with high concentrations of cyanobacteria may experience gastroenteritis, skin irritation, and allergic responses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(1) comment
Wow. Laconia officials care more about tourist money than people's safety.
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