Several Coastal Rivers volunteers gathered at Pemaquid Beach recently for a training with the Maine Healthy Beaches Program. This training will prepare them to take weekly water samples at three favorite local swim beaches, all summer long, to help make sure the beaches are safe for swimming.

For well over a decade, as a service to the towns of Bristol and Damariscotta, Coastal Rivers volunteers have taken water samples at Pemaquid Beach, the Bristol Mills swimming hole, and the beach at Biscay Pond. The samples are sent off to a state-certified lab, which ensures consistent and reliable data.

In recent years, all three beaches have consistently been very clean, with minimal bacterial contamination.