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FAIRFIELD, Conn. Carmen Weber walked from the mild but murky water at Southport Beach on Wednesday, carrying a pail of water to rinse off son Owen, 8, who was covered with sand from head to toe.
"Seeing all the junk in the water makes me leery," said Weber, who was at the beach with Owen as well as younger son Simon, 6 and daughter Teagan, 3.
But Weber said she was still surprised by a newly released national report that found far higher levels of bacteria at Connecticut beaches last summer than in previous years.
"The water always looks like it does today, kind of cloudy and filled with green stuff in it," said Weber, who lives in the Southport section of Fairfield. "But it's been that way ever since we started coming."
The report, by the Natural Resources Defense Council, found Connecticut's coastal beaches in 2010 were shut down last summer twice as often as in recent years. The report says unhealthy levels of bacteria were found at Fairfield's Southport Beach, Sasco Beach, Jennings Beach and other beaches throughout Fairfield County.
With the report finding 11 percent of samples taken at Fairfield County beaches exceeding maximum bacterial standards including 12 percent at Southport and Sasco beaches some beachgoers said Wednesday they were all too familiar with the "Swimmer's Itch" rash that leaves red, blotchy patches or raised marks on the skin.
"When they post 'Swimmer's Itch' signs we are more hesitant to go in the water," Weber said.
Violet Bejack of Fairfield was up to her neck in the water Wednesday with 4-year-old son Anthony. "But when they put up warning signs about 'Swimmer's Itch,' we won't go in. I don't want my son getting sick," she said.
Swimmer's itch is a rash caused by an allergic reaction to parasites that infect some birds and mammals, the report says.
Fairfield Health Director Sands Cleary said he's pleased the overall report rated Fairfield beaches with lower bacteria than at others in the region. But he cautioned that the bacteria count rises after heavy rains and hot weather. "The levels were probably higher at Southport Beach last summer because of its close proximity to the road and a lot of heavy rain that washed bacteria into the Sound," Cleary said.
Cleary said his department puts out advisories and posts warning signs at beaches when "Swimmer's Itch" has been reported. "We want people to know about it so they can make sure to towel down and shower after being in the water."
Are you reluctant to swim at Fairfield beaches when "Swimmer's Itch" signs are posted? Leave a comment below.
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