At least until it rains, swimming conditions look great for the weekend. The dry weather all week has left our beaches and swimming areas with few bacteria problems.
Water tests this week found unsafe bacteria levels at the following county swimming areas. With rain in the forecast for the weekend, other areas could be affected. The county health department advises against swimming for 48 hours after a storm of ½ inch of rain or more.
But as of Friday afternoon, our “bad water” was limited to:
Find out what's happening in Anne Arundelfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
MAGOTHY
Shore Acres – 155 **
Find out what's happening in Anne Arundelfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
SOUTH
Davidsonville Wildlife Sanctuary – 176
RHODE
High Island – 120
White Marsh Community Dock and Beach – 150
Riverclub Community Dock and Beach – 140
WEST
Westelee - 170
** Tested by AAC Health Department
Enterococci counts are expressed as cfu or colony-forming units. Greater than 104 cfu/100 ml are considered elevated bacteria levels.
Enterococci are bacteria that are found in the GI tract of warm-blooded animals, which includes all birds and mammals. Their presence in surface water indicates recent contamination with fecal waste.
Both the county health department and a network of volunteers test over 100 public beaches and other areas around the county for bacteria. The results from the county tests are put online here, and for the volunteer tests here for Severn and Magothy rivers, here for South River, and here for Rhode/West River. All the sites listed above were tested by Watershed Stewards.
Rain washes human and animal waste from the landscape. For that reason, county and state officials warn residents not to swim or come into contact with water for 48 hours after a significant rain.
Bacteria that is ingested can cause an upset stomach. In some cases more harmful bacteria coming into contact with open wounds can cause serious infection.
Have fun, stay safe
