Maine Healthy Beaches Program
MDIWQC's Participation
Summer Intern's 2004 Swim Beach Report (pdf) 2004 Enterococcus Data

The Maine Healthy Beaches program was established in response to the Federal Beach Act of 2000 to notify the public if bacteria levels on the beaches along Maine’s coast reach unhealthy levels. This program has established a unified beach-water quality monitoring and education system that includes:

• Gathering extensive information on beaches throughout Maine
• Identifying and promoting healthy practices for beachgoers
• Surveying beachgoers to determine levels of public awareness and rates of water-related illness incidence
• Development and implementation of sampling and detection methodologies for lake, pond, and coastal beach-water
• Public education programs and notification plans

See the Healthy Beaches Website for advice on how to stay healthy at the beach!

The MDI Water Quality Coalition has participated in the Maine Healthy Beaches program since its start in 2000.  The Sophomores for Clean Shores program at MDI high school was Mount Desert Island’s first connection to this program, and with the establishment of the MDI Water Quality Coalition, the program has continued to grow on MDI.

The beaches on Mount Desert Island are monitored by students from Conners Emerson School, Mount Desert Elementary School, MDI High School, and by summer interns at the Community Environmental Health Lab (CEHL).  CEHL interns also conduct beach user, shoreline and watershed surveys during the summer to increase awareness about the issues surrounding Maine’s coastal beaches. 

Currently, the Maine Healthy Beaches program tests for Enterococcus bacteria as the indicator of swimming illness.  Towns are asked to participate by posting signs telling whether or not a beach is open.  The town of Mount Desert participated in this program from 2003-2005, with a sign on Seal Harbor Beach. Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park have joined the program, and samples from Sand Beach, Lakewood, and Echo Lake are now being run.