By Suzanne Hodgson

Staff Writer

Willard Beach in South Portland has been named one of the top 10 most polluted beaches in Maine, according to the Natural Resource Defense Council – but don’t blame dogs on the beach. 

“See that sewer pipe, that’s where it comes from,” said Joe Moreshead, a lifeguard on the beach, pointing to a pipe that discharges runoff into the water off Willard Beach.

The council, which works to promote healthy environments for wildlife and humans, last week released its 20^th annual beach water quality report that shows high levels of bacteria from animal and human waste.

“We don’t close, it’s a public beach but we put up an advisory warning so people don’t go in,” Moreshead said of signs posted on the beach. 

During 2009, 21 percent of the samples from Willard Beach exceeded the state standard for safe swimming water. The beach had 23 advisory days, the second most in the state, tied with Goodies Beach in Knox County. 

Advisories are posted when bacteria results are higher than the standard amount allowed to be “safe,” according to the Maine Healthy Beaches Program. The public is advised to avoid water contact when advisories are issued.  

Tim Gato of the South Portland Department of Parks, Recreation and Public Works, said there is no problem with pollution on Willard Beach.

“This season we have had no closures, nor have we had back-to-back high test results. We did issue an advisory when getting a spiked reading from the heavy rainstorms on July 14, but even the retest showed any problems were washed away with the tides,” Gato said in an e-mail.

Gato said the pipe at Willard Beach is the last stop of a network of catch basins and 30-inch concrete lines that span the Meetinghouse Hill and Willard Beach watershed areas. He said most street drains found between DiPietro’s, the Cape Elizabeth town line near the Cookie Jar and down Pillsbury Street send overflow storm water into that network.

“That is why it is imperative that we not only keep Willard Beach clean from fecal waste, but also our own streets, lawns and esplanades. Otherwise, heavy rains may take the waste, along with any lawn fertilizers, straight toward our public beach and ocean waters,” he said.

Gato said lifeguards test three sites two times a week to make sure the water is safe. Gato said lifeguards retest if they find any high readings.

Last year, 11 percent of all beach water samples from 60 coastal beaches tested for the report violated state standards. Closings and advisories in Maine increased 47 percent from 2008 to 2009, according to information from the council’s beach report. Testing is done each summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Moreshead said he believes the storm drain, which runs directly across the sandy beach and into the ocean, is to blame for high levels of bacteria in the water, especially after heavy rains.

“If it rained on Sunday night, there will be high levels of bacteria on Monday. Because it rained so much last year we had high levels,” Moreshead said.

He said heavy rainwater picks up bacteria from the ground and flows into the storm drain, which leads into the ocean.

While animal waste on the beach does play a part – Moreshead said he has seen an increase in dog waste on the beach over the past few months – the majority of the bacteria comes from human and animal waste off the beach, said Gato.

“As a general rule, I am more concerned with occasional, severe downpours washing animal feces off of lawns, streets and esplanades, down the storm drains. Our numbers seem to go up only when there is significant rain and runoff, but generally that also means people aren’t at the beach,” Gato said in the e-mail.

For a water sample to be considered unsafe, it must have no more than 104 bacteria cells in each 100-milliliter test sample, said Emily Figdor, director of Environment Maine.

 “That’s the threshold. When the standard was developed that amount of bacteria cells was deemed to be the safe standard,” Figdor said of the state standard. 

Figdor said the 24-hour wait period to obtain test results is especially dangerous after a big rainstorm because officials at local beaches don’t know whether the water is safe until the following day. The group advises people stay off beaches for at least 24 hours after a heavy rainstorm.

Figdor said exposure to the water may cause health problems that include ear, nose and infections, stomach flu, skin rashes, respiratory illness and hepatitis.

Willard Beach isn’t the only beach in the area with recurring water quality problems. Crescent Beach State Park and Higgins Beach both experienced advisory days last year. Kettle Cove Beach did not have any samples that exceeded standards. 

Staff Writer Suzanne Hodgson can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 233.