Is It Clean ?
The Connecticut River and its tributaries are much, much cleaner than they were ten, twenty, or thirty years ago. Citizens, businesses, cities and towns have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up our waters, but unfortunately there are still times when it isn't the best idea to go swimming or boating. The map on this page identifes sites recently sampled for Escheria coli bacteria levels, also called E. coli bacteria. Click on the blue, yellow, or red map icons to learn more about bacteria levels at that site and site access information, or use the SEARCH at the bottom of the page and search by site name or town.
In addition to the bacteria level for each sampling event, it is noted whether or not it was a wet weather event. Wet weather is defined as any day in which >0.1" of rain fell within the 24 hours preceeding sample collection. Bacteria levels are typically elevated during wet weather events.
| FLAG | RECREATION THRESHOLD | BACTERiA COUNT |
|---|---|---|
| BLUE | Clean for swimming and boating | <235 cfu/100 ml |
| YELLOW | Clean for boating only | 235 - 575 cfu/100 ml |
| RED | Not clean for swimming or boating | >575 cfu/100 ml |
Certain bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms can make you sick with stomach pains, rashes, breathing problems, diarrhea, or other intestinal problems. We test for the amount of E. coli bacteria in the water which is an indicator for all types of other "bad guys". These numbers represent a risk threshold, or the chance that you might get sick if you came in contact with water with a concentration of these bacteria. If a person follows the guidance used at theis website, they will have a less than 1% chance of contracting a water-borne disease. For more detailed information about bacteria standards for primary and secondary contact click here.
Connecticut River Bacteria Data 2008-2011
Connecticut River Bacteria Monitoring Video
Field Guide to Visual Water Quality Indicators
