Great news! All but one of the beaches had bacteria levels that were within acceptable limits this past week! With little to no rain in the forecast, this trend will likely extend into the weekend. The only beach that exhibited high bacteria levels was that at Broadview Estates/Preserve at Broad Creek. The site near Pine Whiff’s outfall pipe and the pre-restoration site at Crab Creek also, not surprisingly, had high bacteria levels.
On Wednesday, July 11th, South River Federation staff collected water samples at the locations listed on the chart. Feces from geese and dogs, as well as leaky septic tanks are the top contributors to high bacteria results. The acceptable concentration of Enterococci bacteria for swimming and other direct water contact is less than 104 (cfu) colony forming units/100ml. Anne Arundel County has a 48 hour no swimming/recreational guidance of water ways after a rain event. Please remember that it is not recommended to rain within 48 hours of a rain event of 1 inch or more.
Have a fun and safe weekend!
Jesse Iliff, South Riverkeeper
South River Federation, Edgewater, MD
