A second Derry pond joined Hood Pond in its “beach advisory” status this past week.
An advisory for “fecal bacteria contamination” was issued for the Chase’s Grove Beach on Island Pond Road.
Sonya Carlson of the state Department of Environmental Services (DES) said Friday that the beach was sampled Wednesday, Aug. 28, and sampled again Friday, Aug. 30. The sampling Wednesday had a score of more than 400. The threshold for determining a beach advisory is 88.
Hood Pond was sampled Aug. 19 and had scores of 261 on the right side and 248 the left, Carlson said.
Carlson said it’s been a busy summer for the beach program, with a higher-than-usual number being posted with advisories. “The most obvious reason,” Carlson said, “is the fecal contamination from ducks.”
Heavy rains produced stormwater runoff earlier this summer, Carlson said.
“The amount of rain earlier this summer was gigantic,” she said.
But even she is puzzled at the number of beaches being posted. For some, those with a large duck demographic, it’s obvious, she said. But others? “Who knows?” she said.
The last day for regularly scheduled freshwater beach sampling was Aug. 29, according to a DES press release. Hood Pond is closed for the year for swimming, and the advisory was thus removed.
The fecal bacteria advisory remains at Chase’s Grove Beach, which will be sampled on Sept. 4, with results available Sept. 5.
