Report on UMaine Extension’s Healthy Beaches Program

The state Department of Environmental Protection’s Maine Healthy Beaches program, administered by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, was the subject of a Bangor Daily News article in which environmentalists complained that communities with beaches with unhealthful water quality often don’t post public warnings. A DEP spokesperson said the program is a data-collection and assessment program only. Keri Lindberg, Maine Healthy Beaches coordinator with Cooperative Extension, said decisions about posting health advisories or temporary beach closures are up to local beach managers, and such decisions are more difficult than merely posting a warning when a test shows high bacteria levels.

Contact: George Manlove, (207) 581-3756