Storrs Pond Recreation Area

Archive for July, 2009

Second Run

The NH Department of Environmental Services maintains a database of water test results for public water bodies in New Hampshire. The results are publicly available from their website.

Note that a beach advisory is issued when the e.coli levels exceed 88 ppm, and according to the table below, that has only happened once in 17 years at Storrs Pond.

The State of New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has removed the bacteria advisory from all the beaches at Storrs Pond effective Thursday, July 16.  The bacteria levels tested well below normal and we once again will be guarding the Main Beach from 12:00 to 5:00 pm daily.

A bacteria advisory was first posted on the Byrne Pavilion Beach on July 10 due to elevated E.coli levels in samples. The Byrne Pavilion beach was re-opened on Monday July 13.

However, elevated levels were then found at the Main Beach, and it was closed.  Daily testing continued, and the beach re-opened on Thursday July 16.

When testing, 100 milliliter samples are analyzed for Escherichia coli (E. coli), the indicator organism utilized to determine safe swimming conditions. The State of New Hampshire allows 88 colonies of E. coli per sample in fresh water swimming areas like Storrs Pond. If a beach sample exceeds the standard of 88, a second sample is collected and analyzed to verify the results. If two subsequent samples exceed the standard, a notice is posted at the beach advising residents that it may be unsafe for swimming. The notice is kept posted until additional sampling verifies that the levels of bacterial have decreased and it is safe to swim. For more information, check out the NH DES website.