More information needed on water quality

On July 12, Save the Sound dispatched a team to inspect a stretch of western New Haven Harbor. Several beaches received poor water quality grades last year (grades for 200-plus Long Island Sound beaches are available at SoundHealthExplorer.org). Near Lake Street Beach, scientists noticed a suspicious outfall pipe and discharge and collected water samples to be analyzed in our lab. The results showed fecal indicator bacteria levels measuring two orders of magnitude over the regulatory swimming level. According to our protocol, we promptly filed a pollution report with West Haven municipal leaders, alerting them to the public health concern. A follow-up sample collected by our team on July 18 also yielded the same elevated result.

In an article published on Aug. 10, Department of Public Works Commissioner Tom McCarthy noted the sewer department responded by conducting dye testing, a necessary and appropriate step in cases of sewage leaks. But it isn’t sufficient. There are many potential sources of such a high bacteria hit: a sanitary sewer pump station overwhelmed by too much water can intermittently discharge untreated sewage; rain can lead to polluted stormwater discharging from a pipe; even an abundance of nearby geese could contribute to fecal contamination. Based on what the city has reported publicly so far, it doesn’t appear that the necessary steps were taken after the dye testing to investigate the source of an issue that threatened unsafe swimming conditions for beachgoers.

Normally, municipal governments keep Save the Sound updated about their response to fecal contamination, so we can work together to solve the issue. That hasn’t happened here; we learned about the city’s dye testing from news coverage.

For our part, we have continued to sample the area. The results are improved, but they are still elevated and warrant a thorough investigation. We trust that McCarthy is taking the necessary steps to address a problem he downplayed in his comments, and as the investigation moves forward, the city will be more forthcoming in communicating to the residents of West Haven the information they need and deserve to know about this public health concern.

Peter Linderoth Director of Water Quality,

Save the Sound