Beaches

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State beaches on lakes and ponds throughout Vermont provide a valuable recreational and economic resource. Monitoring for E. coli provides the information necessary to make decisions on whether or not to close a beach to minimize potential health risks to swimmers. Beach closings are not good for business. Public awareness of the implications and extent of high E. coli concentrations can lead to a better appreciation of the importance of water quality to health.

State beaches are monitored by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation with testing provided by the Vermont Department of Conservation Environmental Laboratory. The maximum recorded value for this data is 200 E. coli/100 ml.

An annual summary of E. coli monitoring for all state beaches shows the percent violations of the Vermont standard by year for 1996-1999. Percent violations of the Vermont standard are given by individual beach for each year. Beach closings for Lake Champlain are available from the Lake Champlain Basin Program. Water quality results at Mallets Bay are available from the town of Colchester.