The Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance (SeVWA) began its monitoring program for the summer of 2015 on Wednesday, June 17th. We will be testing 27 sites on eight rivers and streams every other week through the end of August. This year, we have sites on the West River, Rock River, North Branch Brook, Williams River (including South Branch and Middle Branch), Saxtons River, Sacketts Brook, and Whetstone Brook.
Escherichia coli, more commonly known as E. coli, is a bacteria that is found in the guts of all warm blooded animals, including humans. Most E. coli will not make a person sick, but sometimes they can become pathogenic which means they can cause illness. Additionally, the presence of E. coli in waters acts as an indicator for the presence of other, more difficult to test for pathogens. We publish our results to the public in order to help everyone make informed decisions about recreating in Vermont’s waters.
Looking downstream from “Sandy Beach” testing site on the Saxtons River.
For our first batch of results, only a couple tested above the “suitability for swimming” standard set by the State of Vermont and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Most high bacteria levels are a result of heavy rains and the day before we tested was generally pretty dry with only some scattered sprinkles. Because heavy rains can cause spikes in bacteria, it is generally recommended to wait 24-48 hours after a significant rainfall to resume swimming in lakes and streams.
SeVWA’s water quality monitoring program is supported by SeVWA volunteers, members and donors, including Robert Fritz, Inc, Rock River Preservation, Elaine Lambert Living Trust, State of VT Department of Environmental Conservation’s LaRosa Environmental Testing Laboratory, & Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRWC).
E. coli results charts and accompanying commentaries will appear at www.ibrattleboro.com (Nature section) every 2 weeks through the monitoring season. For more information about SeVWA’s monitoring program sites and results and other Connecticut River watershed water quality and recreational information, please visit www.ctriver.us.
Thanks again for all you do to support SeVWA’s monitoring program and for your interest.
This information is provided by Ryan O’Donnell, SeVWA WQMP Coordinator and Chris Yurek, SeVWA 2015
intern (sevwa.volunteer@gmail.com).
SeVWA website – https://sites.google.com/site/vtsevwa/
The bact. stops where?
This question is for anglers, marine biologists, or other fish-wise people.
The article states:
“Escherichia coli, more commonly known as E. coli, is a bacteria that is found in the guts of all warm blooded animals, including humans.”
My question is about transference of bacteria from gut to flesh in fish who dwell in these waters.. In other words, are these cold blooded species, such as trout, safe to eat? And, what is the ‘half-life’ of bacteria, for fish that have been swimming in waters of high-level incidence?
Sorry I just saw your comment
Sorry I just saw your comment today. I am not an expert on bacteria transferring to fish, but I know that to avoid E. coli contamination from warm blooded animals that we eat, cooking them to appropriate temperatures will kill any bacteria. I would also recommend, as always, washing ones hands thoroughly after handling raw fish, even as it just came out of the river, before touching one’s face or handling food.