Hacks Point Beach Testing

http://www.cecilcountyhealth.org/ccdhBeaches.asp

Use the above link to access the testing conducted by the county health department, which is actually staffed by employees of the state of MD.

I had the opportunity to witness the sampling process in mid July. It went as follows:

1) the tester wades into the water thigh deep
2) he tests and records the water temperature and pH.
3) he performs a visual observation for floating grass, dead fish, and other undesirable things
4) at the Hacks Point beach, he takes 3 samples: one at each edge, and one in the middle. In each case, while hip deep, he takes a sterile bottle and collects a sample by dipping the bottle into the water about elbow deep (ie in 2.5 ft deep water he's sampling water roughly a foot below the surface).
5) the samples are labeled and put in a cooler. Later that day, they are transported to an MDE lab in Baltimore where the testing is performed.

The good news so far is that while bacteria levels appear elevated, they're not in violation of standards. This, of course, can change at any time based on a number of factors.