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Closing Beaches Not Enough to Address Water Problem ; Pollution Will Damage Maine's Clean Image During Vacation Season.

Posted on: Wednesday, 27 July 2005, 12:00 CDT

It can hardly be good news to find out that some of our most popular bathing beaches are contaminated with fecal matter, but it's not all bad.

Because of a 4-year-old state water quality testing program, more beaches than ever are being monitored and more unhealthy conditions have been discovered. As a result, this summer a record number of the state's beaches have been temporarily closed, probably preventing the spread of diseases that could range from diarrhea to cholera.

At the height of the state's vital tourist season, however, that's where the good news ends.

It was important to identify the problem. Now state officials should make finding its source a priority. Closing beaches alone is not a viable solution for a state that calls itself "Vacationland."

"This is really big news because we haven't seen these problems in the past, said Esperanza Stanicioff of the Maine Healthy Beaches Program, a partnership involving the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, several state agencies and municipalities.

So far no one can adequately say where the pollution is coming from, and increased testing alone does not explain it. The usual culprit, heavy rain, is also ruled out. Following a wet spring, the summer weather couldn't be nicer and there have been no storms big enough to cause a sewer overflow. Other suspects might be passing cruise ships, or even practices by the people who use the beaches such as letting babies swim without diapers or not cleaning up after their dogs.

Whatever is causing the problem should be identified and fixed soon. How many ruined vacations will it take to permanently damage Maine's reputation as a pristine escape from the polluted environments to our south?

Source: Portland Press Herald

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