Second Highest Fecal Bacteria Reading Registered

Fairhope, Alabama

Update: The retest on Monday June 12th was 20c/100ml.


Municipal beach today

AT MUNICIPAL BEACH THURSDAY

Despite signs warning of possible poor water quality, sunbathers and geese were cooling off together at municipal beach today.

Water quality has been questionable there since Wednesday's reading of 400, and the re-test on Thursday of 1020 -- the second-largest ever measured since the testing program began in 2006. (Largest was a 1588 in June of 2010)

Readings often spike after heavy rain, then dissipate rapidly; the signs do not indicate current water quality, only the most recent data (in this case from last Thursday's sample)

The last rain was Tuesday evening/night.



HIGH ELSEWHERE TOO

Orange Ave. pier
Red warnings were still posted at the Volanta/Yacht Club beach and Orange Street/Pier beach as well where most-recent tests measured 613 and 313 respectively.

104 (colonies/100ml) is the maximum recommended by the EPA.

Results from water samples collected Friday will not be announced until Monday, when new samples will be collected.



ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS WEIGH IN

When asked about it by a Times reporter after Friday's Environmental Committee meeting, member Gary Gover said he had counted over 120 geese and was worried swimmers could become ill; committee chairman Mike Shelton thought letting grass grow higher in the duck pond area would help reduce goose population there -- since they only eat the new green "shoots."

environmental committee
Shelton actually trains the citizen-volunteers who collect the water samples as part of the Alabama Water Watch Program (click).

A study done five years ago revealed markers for both of human and animal bacteria: including geese, cows, and birds (seagulls).





Most-recent results for municipal beach:




Comments

Anonymous said…
You make it sound like this is due to the geese. I guess you see no correlation between poor water quality and the amount of rain we received in the past week that most likely sent sewage into the bay?
Publisher said…
The post clearly states the high readings occur only after heavy rain; no sewage overflows have been reported by the city.
Anonymous said…
The drainage pipes from homes above counts for a lot I bet. Fertilizer , street run off , the smelly bathroom at the bay. Etc. nasty people not the geese.
Anonymous said…
Has anyone from the City officially requested an evaluation from the federal EPA as to where the pollution is originating? I do not, for a minute, believe that it is caused by geese migrating. Has the city requested federal help in sourcing the problem? Do Shux and any other 'over water based' establishments have the appropriate sewer systems? I am relatively new to Fairhope but the bay water is becoming evermore disgusting and I can't quite figure out why no one seems to care.
All of the money in the world won't be able to redeem Fairhope if we don't demand answers from our City Council (and Baldwin county, etc) now!
Also, could we possibly get the State or Federal government to attend some of our Council meetings when we discuss Fly Creek apartments, sewer system problems, etc? I am beginning to believe that our Council is making a lot of money on the side by sidelining important infrastructure issues.
Textide said…
Kant would get rid of the geese...Wilson likes to wallow in it