E-coli
Since storm-water carries
pollutants from the watershed to streams and ponds, the Six Ponds Association
decided last summer to do some storm sampling.
During the height of
three heavy rainstorms, samples were collected from the outfall pipe which
drains Plymouth Estates roads and from the stream running from Little Long
Pond to Long Pond.
E-coli
test results in 2002 (the acceptable limit is 235 colonies/100mls)
Outfall pipe test
results
colonies/100mls
Stream test results colonies/100mls
What’s
being done - When the initial
June results were obtained, Six Ponds members visited the Town’s Public Health
Director who asked for two more validation tests. The results above show
that an even greater E-coli level was found in July and a very serious level
was found in September. The acceptable recreation level is just a fraction
of what was obtained (235 colonies/100mls). Six Ponds Executive Committee
members then visited with the Health Director who could take no action because
there is no Town owned public interest at Long Pond. He said, however, that
these levels would have closed the PEA beach immediately if it was a public
beach. Six Ponds then appeared at a full Board of Public Health meeting and
spoke with the Public Works Director who agreed to clean some of the catchment
basins. He also agreed to open catchment grates during a heavy Spring rainstorm
to allow us to sample selected basins to isolate the source(s). These high E-coli levels could come from overflowing septic
systems or from something as simple as the dumping of cat litter into a catchment
drain. We will follow up this Spring.
Caution:
Problem Locations
1. Outfall Pipe: the samples were taken right at the mouth
of the stormwater outfall pipe which drains part of the Plymouth Estates
subdivision. The pipes feeding to this outfall pipe collect from 2000 feet
of roadway with about 50 homes. There are storm grates every 100 to 200 feet
along parts of the following roads: Long Pond Road, Oar & Line Road,
2. Stream: The 9,600 sample from the stream
running from Little Long Pond was taken 30 feet upstream to avoid any influence
from the outfall pipe. Note: Just this past month a high school science project
found high E-coli levels in the stream.