Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

Raymond Morales and Karylane Velazquez test the waters of Long Island Sound on their first trip of the season to the beach at Seaside Park, in Bridgeport, Conn. April 11, 2017.

Raymond Morales and Karylane Velazquez test the waters of Long Island Sound on their first trip of the season to the beach at Seaside Park, in Bridgeport, Conn. April 11, 2017.

Jackie Turiano, of Shelton, enjoys a book while keeping her feet cool in the waters of Long Island Sound at Seaside Park, in Bridgeport, Conn. July 27, 2016.

Jackie Turiano, of Shelton, enjoys a book while keeping her feet cool in the waters of Long Island Sound at Seaside Park, in Bridgeport, Conn. July 27, 2016.

Pleasure Beach, a 71 acre peninsula between Bridgeport and Stratford, opens to the public Saturday, June 28, 2014, after being closed for nearly two decades.

Pleasure Beach, a 71 acre peninsula between Bridgeport and Stratford, opens to the public Saturday, June 28, 2014, after being closed for nearly two decades.

Alex Stetter, left, of Fairfield, chats with a fellow runner while taking a cooling dip in the Sound after the Fairfield Half Marathon at Jennings Beach in Fairfield, Conn. on Sunday, June 25, 2017.

Alex Stetter, left, of Fairfield, chats with a fellow runner while taking a cooling dip in the Sound after the Fairfield Half Marathon at Jennings Beach in Fairfield, Conn. on Sunday, June 25, 2017.

Pleasure Beach in Bridgeport, Conn. June 28, 2014.

Pleasure Beach in Bridgeport, Conn. June 28, 2014.

Jennings Beach in Fairfield July 2, 2016.

Jennings Beach in Fairfield July 2, 2016.

University of Bridgeport students during a polar at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Conn. February 2, 2017.

University of Bridgeport students during a polar at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Conn. February 2, 2017.

Save the Sound: Water quality at Bridgeport, Fairfield beaches dropped in 2016

Several Connecticut beaches had significant drops in water quality in a years time, an environmental advocacy group says.

But Bridgeports Health Department says the methodology of that report is murky.

Pleasure Beach and Seaside Park Beach of Bridgeport and Jennings Beach of Fairfield are among the beaches that Save the Sound reported had declining water quality when comparing bacteria samples from 2015 and 2016.

Bridgeport Director of Public Health and Social Services Maritza Bond said her issue with this data is that it isnt recent.

The entire summer, we have not had to shut down either beach, Bond said of this years swimming season at Seaside Park Beach and Pleasure Beach. If we have an elevated level, we will notify the public. We post signs.

The mission of Save the Sound, a program within Connecticut Fund for the Environment, is to improve and protect the air, land and water of Connecticut and the Long Island Sound, its website said.

Grading system

Percentages based on swim safety failure rate.

A = 0 to 5 percent

B = 6 to 11 percent

C = 12 to 17 percent

D = 18 to 23 percent

F = More than 23 percent

West Haven beaches

Seabluff Beach

-2015: B+

-2016: F

-Percentage of samples that failed: 26

Dawson Beach

-2015: A+

-2016: D-

-Percentage of samples that failed: 21

Rock Street Beach

-2015: A+

-2016: F

-Percentage of samples that failed: 32

Oak Street Beach

-2015: A-

-2016: D-

-Percentage of samples that failed: 21

Seaview Beach

-2015: B+

-2016: F

-Percentage of samples that failed: 43

Source: Save the Sound

By the groups assessment, Pleasure Beach received a D in 2016, compared to the A-plus in 2015, with 11 percent of last years samples failing to meet safe swimming conditions.

Seaside Park Beach went from a B-plus in 2015 to a D-plus in 2016, with 12 percent of samples falling short of safe swimming standards.

Bond said the problem with this data is that the grading system created by Save the Sound is not, as far as she knows, enforced by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Prevention or the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

The Save the Sound website indicates its measurements and grading system are based on the EPAs criteria for safe swimming.

We developed the grading scale in consultation with scientists who study water quality in Long Island Sound, the website said.

The data used for Save the Sounds report was gathered from local and county health departments which is where Bond said the Bridgeport health department sends its information each week. She said that every Monday the health department conducts a water test to check for elevated bacteria levels at the beaches.

All summer, so far we only had one elevated level, that was in the third week of June, Bond said.

She, along with Save the Sound, said the reason for occasional elevated levels of bacteria in the water is likely because of rain runoff.

The data analysis for the report was led by Save the Sounds Soundkeeper, Bill Lucey.

Well keep the public updated about what happened at these beaches, and what can be done to make sure it doesnt happen again, Lucey said in a prepared statement.

Bridgeport beaches arent the only ones under the microscope in Save the Sounds report.

Fairfields Jennings Beach earned a B-minus in 2015 and a D-plus for 2016, with 14 percent of samples failing to meet safe swimming conditions last year.

Save the Sound said the failures at Jennings Beach correlated with rain, and that storm water runoff can pick up pet waste and overwhelm sewer systems.

Mark Tedesco, the EPAs Long Island Sound office director, told Hearst Connecticut Media in 2015 that septic systems in the area should be further studied.

We need a better understanding of where we are with septic systems and storm water runoff, Tedesco said at the time.

For those concerned about water conditions at beaches, Lucey said to contact local health departments for more information.

Beach conditions can vary dramatically from day-to-day, and high bacteria counts on a few days last summer dont necessarily mean bad conditions this year, he said in a prepared statement.

The most recent information from the DEEP on the water quality for state parks in Connecticut indicated all designated swimming areas were open Tuesday.

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Save the Sound: Water quality at Bridgeport, Fairfield beaches ... - CT Post