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Indicators: Sound + ShoreNo Swimming at the Beach
Many coastal towns and cities must close their beaches after heavy rains because of the pollutants that are washed into Long Island Sound, and 2006 was a rainy year.
Connecticut's goal (PDF file) is to eliminate beach closings caused by discharges of untreated or poorly treated sewage, the most common cause of elevated bacteria levels. After rain storms, runoff and overflows from combined sanitary/storm sewers are presumed to contaminate the water, prompting towns to close beaches automatically as a precaution. The Council adds up the number of days that each city and town closes one or more of its public beaches, and calculates an average for each year. Yearly variations are products of rainfall patterns and incidents such as sewer-line ruptures. The dry summer of 2002 brought far fewer closings, but significant rainfall in 2003 elevated the number of closings. Rainfall, sewage spills and boat discharges led to some beaches being closed for several days in 2005 and again in 2006, almost all in the western half of the state. | |
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