OLD LYME — UPDATED 7/17 at 10 a.m. — Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) has now confirmed to LymeLine.com that this result means that the Swimming Advisory noted below is lifted with immediate effect. Danielle Holmes, Sanitarian II at LLHD, told us by email Friday morning, “Sound View Beach is open and cleared for swimming!”
UPDATED 7/16 at 4:33 p.m.: Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) posted the following statement on their Facebook page shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon: “The areas with elevated bacterial counts [which include Sound View] were re-sampled Wednesday, July 15, 2020. Results of the re-samples were below bacterial action levels.”
7/15 — Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) found elevated bacteria levels in the most recent water sampling at Sound View. As such, swimming or wading in these waters is discouraged until further notice.
Ledge Light resampled the water yesterday, Wednesday, July 15, and the results will be reported in the next two days.
This swim advisory is for Sound View Beach only — no other Old Lyme beaches have been issued a swim advisory.
According to their website, LLHD conducts weekly bathing water sampling from Memorial Day through Labor Day for the Towns and Cities of Old Lyme along with East Lyme, Groton, Ledyard, New London, Stonington, and Waterford. The 2020 sampling season began on May 20, 2020.
Beach or bathing water quality is measured by the presence of enterococcal organisms, which are a group of organisms that may indicate the presence of potentially harmful bacteria.
The State of Connecticut has issued guidelines for bathing water quality, which are used to determine if a bathing area needs to be resampled or posted with an advisory. A concentration of enterococcal organisms exceeding 104 colonies per 100 ml of marine water and 235 colonies per 100 ml of freshwater is considered unsatisfactory for bathing.
At least once a week from mid-May to mid-September, LLHD Sanitarians collect water samples from different bathing areas throughout the District. The water samples are then sent to the State laboratory for analysis.
If any of the samples exceed the State guidelines, the water is resampled to verify the result. If the second test confirms the level, a bathing advisory is posted at that location.
Ledge Light Health District will continue to monitor the site and remove the posting as soon as the levels are safe.