Public Beaches Near Weirs Beach

[KellyG]

Thanks for the replies. We did try Ellacoya first, and you could not swim there either because of high bacteria. We ended up going to Leavitt in Meredith and it was nice. There is a big swimming area and it wasn't crowded.

[wildwoodfam]

Originally Posted by KellyG

Thanks for the replies. We did try Ellacoya first, and you could not swim there either because of high bacteria. We ended up going to Leavitt in Meredith and it was nice. There is a big swimming area and it wasn't crowded.

My girls always ask to go to Leavitt Beach - even though we have our own beach!! They like the toys and the fact you can walk out forever and the depth remains about waist high. It's clean and never crowded!

[Peechee]

I may be a naive idealist but it bothers me that e-coli is so prevalent on the lake. This should be an issue that everyone - tree huggers, Donzi lovers, libs and conservatives, etc. etc. - should try to remedy, either through public forums or private practices. Has their been any recent new coverage of this problem?

[Mee-n-Mac]

Originally Posted by Peechee

I may be a naive idealist but it bothers me that e-coli is so prevalent on the lake. This should be an issue that everyone - tree huggers, Donzi lovers, libs and conservatives, etc. etc. - should try to remedy, either through public forums or private practices. Has their been any recent new coverage of this problem?

Not directly related to Winni but the problem is not limited to fresh water lakes here.

E. coli Thrives in Beach Sands
By Andrea Thompson, LiveScience Staff Writer

posted: 04 June 2007 09:33 am ET

"The perils of a day at the beach aren’t always as easy to see as riptides, broken shells and jellyfish—the sand at the shore may harbor E. coli and other potentially dangerous disease-causing bacteria, a recent study showed.

E. coli is one of the main species of bacteria that live in the lower intestines of mammals, including humans—one person excretes billions of them in a day. Pathogenic strains of E. coli can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

Government testers look for E. coli as an indicator of fecal contamination at freshwater beaches all over the country, because the other microbes present are more difficult to detect (another bacteria is used to test for fecal matter at ocean beaches because E. coli does not survive well in salt water).

Beaches all over the country frequently close due to fecal contamination; a day at the beach can be ruined if septic systems overflow or malfunction, or if a lot of birds happen to be in the neighborhood.

Seasonal sources

To test exactly which strains of E. coli were sitting in the sands around Lake Superior, and whether any of them were potentially dangerous to humans, a group of University of Minnesota researchers collected samples and compared the DNA to an existing library.

Their results are detailed in a recent issue of the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

They found two broad types of E. coli in the sand: those “deposited more recently,” as team member Michael Sadowsky put it, and those “that have learned to kind of grow or reproduce in the sand,” he said.

The levels of both of these sources vary seasonally. Those that have become indigenous to the lake sands tend to be more abundant in the summer, when nutrients are more available and temperatures rise. Contributions from birds tend to come when they are migrating through the area. Fecal contamination from sewage can occur whenever there is a malfunction or overflow.

Importantly, the study found that very few of the E. coli present on the beach are potentially harmful to humans—other microbes that tend to travel in the same waste streams, such as Salmonella, are more of a worry to health officials.

But you likely wouldn’t get sick just from wiggling your toes in the sand, because most of these bacteria follow what Sadowsky terms the “fecal to oral route.” Which means you should listen to your parents and wash your hands frequently, especially after using the bathroom and before eating.

“Getting it on your skin is not going to be very dangerous,” he said.

Just watch what you swallow. "

from http://www.livescience.com/health/07...ach_ecoli.html

[Airwaves]

AC2717 wrote"Quote:

Is this due to high lake levels, rain, and the leaching of septic systems? Or is there a problem with the lake

The wire story that I saw did not have the cause, usually something like that is caused by swimmers (in this case residents of Gilford) using the lake as a toilet.

Originally posted by Winni P
Quote:

Gilford town Beach is located in Saunders Bay and Ellacoya is by the broads, so I would imagine the water quality is different. I would try Ellacoya before the Gilford Town Beach - have fun!

Winni P, that's why I wrote Not Ellacoya State Park in the subject line to my post, so that no one would confuse the two.

[Winni Luvr]

I have noticed alot more Canadian Geese up there last few years in the water and sitting on docks and beaches. Their *deposits* rival that of a German Shepard . Now I don't want to "Blame it on Canada" .....but I would venture a guess that these guys may have a little something to do with the problem....

[wildwoodfam]

Originally Posted by Winni Luvr

I have noticed alot more Canadian Geese up there last few years in the water and sitting on docks and beaches. Their *deposits* rival that of a German Shepard . Now I don't want to "Blame it on Canada" .....but I would venture a guess that these guys may have a little something to do with the problem....

Common but annoying mistake....kinda like saying Mallardian Ducks But you are correct they, the Canada Geese, do deposit enough "s%$#" in the lake to create problems.

[Winni Luvr]

Originally Posted by wildwoodfam

Common but annoying mistake....kinda like saying Mallardian Ducks But you are correct they, the Canada Geese, do deposit enough "s%$#" in the lake to create problems.

It may be those darned Drakardian Ducks as well......

sorry...I always heard them referred to as Canadian Geese...thanks for the correction..anyway...they're just nasty in my opinion...to take a walk in a park anymore is like doing a slalom course..it has to be effecting the Lake..Last year where I stayed in Meredith..they provided a broom to get rid of what was on the floating dock...guess it should've been a bag and shovel..
Since I'm from a business background and not a scientific background...I'd just like to know how (hope this is not a stupid question) how do Lakes naturally purify or get rid of these harmful bacteria's? I mean, I look at Lake Winnipesaukee and it looks as clear as it did when I first came here 40 years ago...I always tell everyone it is the cleanest Lake there is..but then the last few years there has been an abundance of beach closures due to bacteria..and it certainly is not evident in the clarity of the water..
In fact I went for a couple of chilly swims the 1st week of August with no thought of if it was safe or not. I think someone else asked, but are the readings at Ellacoya or Gilford Town Beach an indication that say the entire Gilford area shoreline may be unsafe?

[Airwaves]

The only beach listed HERE at the DES site on Winnipesaukee earlier today was Endicott Beach at the Weirs. It appears to have been removed from the list now.

[KellyG]

Originally Posted by Airwaves

The only beach listed HERE at the DES site on Winnipesaukee earlier today was Endicott Beach at the Weirs. It appears to have been removed from the list now.

That is just my luck! I love Endicott Beach and it had the bacteria signs all week. The day I leave, the bacteria is gone.

[Seeker]

Originally Posted by Winni Luvr

I have noticed alot more Canadian Geese up there last few years in the water and sitting on docks and beaches. Their *deposits* rival that of a German Shepard . Now I don't want to "Blame it on Canada" .....but I would venture a guess that these guys may have a little something to do with the problem....

Now you got it. Canada is invading Lake Winnie and has sent in their advance elite goose squad to contaminate the waters.