Seth's Pond Closed to Swimmers After High Bacteria Count

The town of West Tisbury has closed a popular Lambert's Cove-area swimming hole, according to an announcement on the town website:

Seth’s pond is closed until further notice due to high bacteria level in Monday’s sample. Pond was retested on Tuesday.

It's the second time this season that testing has turned up potentially unsafe bacteria levels, according to a report in the Martha's Vineyard Times: Seth's Pond was closed for two days in June after higher-than-allowable levels of enterococci were discovered, the Times reports.

The pond has been closed at least once every summer for the past few years, according to published reports on MV Patch and elsewhere.

High levels of enterococci also spurred the town of Oak Bluffs to close a well and issue a boil-water order for several days in late June of this year.

Click here for a link to water-quality results for many Martha's Vineyard beaches.

According to the National Resources Defense Council, storm-water pollution is the most common source of water pollution and beach closings. Bacteria, viruses and other pathogens in that pollution can sicken swimmers. 

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