Posted in Maine August 04, 2019 by Michelle

Fecal Bacteria Has Reached Unsafe Levels On 33% Of Beaches In Maine

Most Mainers look forward to summer because it means the warm weather we’ve been working towards all winter. Beach trips are high on the list of fun activities, but we’ve recently been re-thinking that plan. If you’re been planning days at the beach for the rest of the summer you might want to stay on the shore? A recent report just revealed that the last few years have seen some pretty gross water conditions here.

We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/

It's easy to see cautionary signs at the beach and decide to ignore them. You've already taken everything out of the car and made your way to the sand, after all! But, you might want to rethink that. In 2018, a report found that more than 39 Maine beaches showed unsafe levels of contamination.

The report, which focused on fecal bacteria and other contamination found that these beaches had been contaminated for at least one day of the testing period.

Of those Goose Rocks Beach was the worst offender with 14 days of contamination, the most of any beach in the state.

In fact, the entire east coast of the country is seeing a surge in potentially dangerous bacteria.

Coming up behind Goose Rocks Beach was Willard Beach, Ogunquit Beach, Kennebunk Beach and Long Sands Beach as contaminated for the most days during the sampling period.

At Willard Beach 8 our of 26, or 31% of samples were found to be contaminated. As one of the most popular beaches in southern Maine, this is certainly worrisome.

In Ogunquit, 7 out of 14, a whopping 50% of sampling days, were found to show high levels of bacteria.

While these beaches had the highest percentage of contaminated days, Waldo County had the highest contaminated days of any other Maine county.

While we can't always control what's in our waters, we can be sure to read posted signs to avoid exposure to anything potentially dangerous. If we do that, we can feel confident that we'll stay safe!

The report, by Environment America Research and Policy Center is available to read here. It includes information on beaches across every state included in the sampling.

Most of the time Maine beaches are perfectly safe for swimming. To make the most of the summer, check out these 8 beautiful beaches!

What are your favorite Maine beaches? With such long winters are you still willing to risk the bacteria to enjoy the water? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!