By Samantha McCarthy—For the North Star Reporter
Falls Pond faced closures this past week due to high readings of E. Coli levels in the water.
Town Health Agent Brian McCracken explained the high level of the bacteria in the water was due to runoff from the rain and lack of staffing at the pond.
“We haven’t really had this happen in a while because they used to clean the benches a lot more because they had staff. Now that there isn’t, it’s more of a ‘swim at your own risk’ sort of thing,” he said.
Falls Pond is now open to the public with levels being within safe limits.
McCracken noted that high E. Coli readings are not uncommon, and can occur after a heavy rain, especially in an area that has a high concentration of wildlife, with waste washing into the water.
The pond is tested weekly, with the bacteria levels being low enough for safe swimming. E. Coli is killed over time by sunlight on the surface and other bacteria in the water that is able to fight it off.