Monday's day-long rainstorm may be responsible for forcing the city's Health Department to close Plum Cove Beach to swimmers — at lest until further testing — officials said Wednesday.
The city closed the beach Wednesday afternoon after a series of weekly tests found an unusually high concentration of bacteria in the water, according to Gloucester's interim health director, Max Schenk.
That bacteria, said Schenk, probably came from stormwater washing out of a stormwater pipe near the Plum Cove shoreline. The beach, he said, is closed until the bacteria level drops.
Schenk said he expects the water to clear out with the tides in the next few days.
According to Schenk, Plum Cove Beach's waters failed the State Health Department's mandated water testing on Tuesday.
Biomarine Labs, a Gloucester water and seafood testing company, reported that samples taken from the beach exceeded the department's allowed levels for Enterococci bacteria.
Enterococci is commonly found in human and animal waste — waste that stormwater picks up when it runs down streets and into storm drains, Schenk said.
In marine waters, the accepted level of Enterococci for a single sample is 104 colony forming units per 100 milliliters (cfu/100 ml) of bathing water or less.
"Once it goes past that, we have to shut the beach down, until such time as we can get results to go lower than that," said Schenk.
But, Gloucester run off may not be the only cause.
Schenk said the bacteria may have come from runoff in the Merrimack River, as well. The river flows out past Newburyport, and flushes down around Cape Ann as well. He added that he did not think boats dumping waste off-shore caused this particular shutdown.
"We've had so many storms," Schenk said, "that's more likely the case,"
Plum Cove Beach will remain closed until bacteria levels go down in future tests. The city has not closed another beach, but expects final test results on all beaches by this afternoon.
The swimming shutdown, first reported Wednesday afternoon via text messages and online at gloucestertimes.com, is the city's first of the summer.
Gloucester, however, is not alone among Cape Ann communities, however. The town of Manchester has had to close West Manchester Beach to swimming several times this summer due to high bacteria counts, and had to declare Tuck's Point Beach off limits to swimmers for two days earlier this month as well.
Rockport has not yet encountered any bacteria-related beach closings, Town Administrator Linda Sanders said Wednesday.
Steven Fletcher may be contacted at 1-978-283-7000 x3455, or sfletcher@gloucestertimes.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stevengdt.
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
