Luci Bango, director of health for the Aspetuck Health District, says: “Good news. Beach samples are good!”
That’s the result of yesterday’s re-sampling of Compo Beach water. Swimming had been prohibited since Thursday, due to high bacteria levels.
The results from the state lab — which have a minimum incubation period of 24 hours, with only 4 to 6 staff members processing samples — means that Compo will reopen for swimming tomorrow (Wednesday). The beach has remained open throughout, for all other activities.
Wednesday’s weather forecast is for cloudy skies, with a high of 89.
With the humidity, it will feel like 95.
Everyone into the water!
After a few uncrowded days, Compo Beach will likely look different tomorrow.
There has to be a better way.
Nope. That is the best we can do. Apparently it was good enough for the 1950s, so it’s good enough for now.
The experts and our town leaders have spoken. (Haven’t they? The silence is deafening.)
This is pure bullshit@
Tell beach goers what they want to hear! !
Not telling the real facts and truth!
If there wdre not water samples taken yesterday or today and those tested with NOW results water users at Campo could be in tfoubld. How quickly no one seems to remember Monday’ s msjor fownpours! The contaminated runoff coupled with the over charge from the sewage treatment facility will most likely have run the bacterial levels off the scale!
Welcome to Connecticut’s public services shortfalls!
Ray, Remember, there were also no sharks off Amity Island and it was perfectly safe to open the beaches. That didn’t end well. I wonder if the Mayor got reelected?
OK. This is just one other example of how excessive over reliance on social media has led to the decline of Westport’s esteem for self and others (and other’s esteem for Westport). Tomorrow the healing process begins with Dan’s annual community get-together on South Beach. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it, but as a pub(l)ic service would caution all Westport males to self-medicate just in case they might have been infected. In the past when I’ve swam in polluted water I’ve found that Cruex not only relieves the associated itching but provides a great prophylactic against future infection. Simply apply to the infected area. First learned about it from Dr. Jack Shiller, Westport pediatrician (and Public Health Director) back in the Golden Age of Westport. Have fun tomorrow. (don’t do anything I wouldn’t do (but if you do, whatever you do, don’t tell Dan (Woog, not Katz)). (Or was it the other way around?)
We need RFK Jr to come swim around and tell us if it is okay.
That’s a Grimm situation assessment. Good idea.
Let’s get serious about coliform bacterial contamination.
There need to be more informed Compo beaches and Sound swimmers! In our current weather heat extremes and flooding rains these bacteria contaminations flourish. When this happens the waters are closed by agencies whose job is sample and test to confirm these levels are over acceptable levels. This testing including lab measurements must be completed very quickly to provide public safety. When dangerous bacterial levels are present the waters need to be closed to swimming. The subsequent retesting should be done quickly before those areas are reopened to swiming. Monday’s serious storm rains were much heavier than the weather events of the previous weeks levels that produced contamination levels that closed Compo waters contact and swiming they are lifting this morning.
But alas were these waters tested and identified as safe Tuesday or today before last weeks closures were lifted!
One of the most serious infections created from contact with high bacterial levels is infectious hepatitis.
Westports public waters become dangerous when our public service water health agencies are out of proper timing with identifying when these waters are actually still contaminated!
Westport’s Parks & Recreation needs to be more careful to know exactly when our beach water areas are really safe for Wesporters to swim and play in!
Don’t worry Ray. Chris Grimm’s got everybody’s back. He developed a game plan (as he outlined above). Further details as follows: RFK, Jr. is coming to town on a mission from U-No-Hoo. (he’s making a list, checking it twice, gonna find out who’s naughty and nice (hint: Tooker – somewhat but not entirely naughty, Koskinas – very nice). Then there’s going to be a cross channel swim from Compo to Cockenoe and return. Then a spectrographic analysis of undergarments will be conducted by the Staples Booster Club Scientific Division. And that will be the end of that.
I only mentioned him because he swam (with his grandkids) in sewage laden Rock Creek in DC. Maybe he should swim up here, too, to test the safety of the water.
I’m staying out of our local waterways for the time being!
Eric
You are cute, but I your knowledge of beach waters bacterial water vontamination is lacking!
Hi Ray,
Thanks for the compliment (I agree that I’m cute but I’m also taken). If you want to come to the final day of the SHS ‘70 55th reunion the first weekend in September as my guest (not Dan’s his annual Compo beach party was yesterday) we’re cooking out on the South Beach (our class tradition). We can “flirt” with each other, then go skinny dipping in Long Island Sound. No one will notice (because they’re having too much fun). The first one to develop a strange rash will be treated by 06880’s favorite doctor. This will resolve for once and for all the question as to who knows the most about “beach waters bacterial water contamination.” The ONLY condition is that that all attendees contribute $25 to the Staples Tuition Grants Committee. It’s our class tradition. Hope to see you there!!!
“06880” blog party is tonight, Eric.
My bad Dan. My always bad. Have fun. You deserve it.
Just to allay the Chicken Littles (or was that Little Chickens?) As any sarcassist will attest: Cosmo Kramer first swam in the East River almost 40 years ago and has done it periodically (in reruns) since then. No negative aftereffects (that I can see).
I have said enough to inform to a message that continues to fall on deaf happy ears!
Just study if you care about how bad west side waters of Long Island Sound are and continue to worsen. Bacterial contaminatio n and oxygen depletion in our shore side waters is nearing uncontrolled levels. Only 70% of west side beaches are really safe for human contact and recreation activities.
Don’t think about this and it will just go away.
If you care about serious effects of this type of sickening pollution then just read something simple like Wikipedia and other data on the Sound and you might just grab how serious the problem is. Realize we live on the western shore of one of the most polluted bodies of coastal water in the entire US.
Sad! Some say “Save the Sound” , I say ” Survive the Sound”!
Ray, I wish I could be at Dan’s party tonight. I think you might find my presence comforting or at the very least soothing. I tend to affect other nice people that way. And!!!! I take Medicare.