With All-Clear Water Quality Testing, Branford Beaches Reopen After Being Closed Since Monday Health Dept.

BRANFORD, CT — All public beaches in Branford have reopened for swimming after water quality concerns, due to excessive rain, shuttered them on Monday, according to the East Shore District Health Department. Shellfish beds are also reopened.

In an alert Monday, the health department closed the beaches as a precaution given the heavy rainfall. In an update early Wednesday morning, the health department said that staff are taking water samples Wednesday to determine if the water sample was within acceptable limits.

Those sample results came back Thursday afternoon.

"All water samples came back within acceptable limits," the health department noted. "All beaches are open."

How beach closures work

Following beach closure, additional sampling is conducted until acceptable limits are reached. ESHD implements pre-emptive beach closures based on rainfall. If rainfall within a 24-hour timeframe exceeds a certain limit, the beach will be closed and resampled until water quality is acceptable.

Testing means collecting water samples and checking them for bacteria that signal contamination, like enterococci and coliform. After heavy rain, swimming advisories or beach closures are often put in place for 24 to 48 hours because stormwater runoff and sewer overflows can carry pollution into the water, according to the state.

The department conducts weekly beach water testing throughout the summer months.

The Environmental Protection Agency established bacterial standards for marine beaches to determine acceptable levels. If one sample exceeds the acceptable limit, a resample is taken to determine if the beach should be closed.

Shellfish beds have not been reopened. According to the ESDHD, "We receive notice from the CT Department of Agriculture Bureau of Aquaculture when shellfish beds are closed due to rainfall, and they must remain closed until we receive notice that they can be reopened. The seasonal shellfish beds will remain closed until after the boating season ends."

Editor's note: This post has been updated to reflect that shellfish beds are not open.