New Hampshire’s Beach Program will provide a current list of beach advisories throughout the state. To view current beach advisories, go to the Current Advisories page.
Reasons for beach advisories
DES currently posts beach advisories when sample analyses result in bacteria levels above the state standard, indicating the possible presence of disease-causing organisms, or a toxic cyanobacteria scum. These advisories are recommendations to the public to avoid water contact activities at the beach until further analyses reveal safe conditions.
A Beach Advisory is posted when:
One sample at a freshwater beach exceeds the state standard of 88 counts of E. coli per 100 milliliters (mL) of water, or E. coli levels exceed the geometric mean of 47 counts of E. coli per 100 mL of water in at least three samples collected over a 60-day period.
One sample at a marine beach exceeds the state standard of 104 counts of Enterococci per 100 mL of water, or Enterococci levels exceed the geometric mean of 35 counts of Enterococci per 100 mL of water in at least three samples collected over a 60-day period.
A potential toxin-producing cyanobacterial scum is present at the beach and cell dominance is greater than 50 percent of a sample.
DES works cooperatively with the town or beach manager to post these advisories. The Beach Program has produced two signs to indicate a beach advisory. Click here to view samples of the signs.
The town/beach managers may use their own discretion to actively close a beach to the public. They may place barriers at the entrances or post signs indicating the closure. The municipality must notify the Beach Program of their intentions to close a particular beach.
How does DES follow-up on beach advisories?
The Beach Program will immediately resample all beaches upon issuing an advisory. Once it has been determined that the concentration of bacteria is within the state standard, the advisory signs will be removed from the beach area.
Also, any listings for beach advisories that were placed on the DES and Earth 911 Web sites will be updated.
How will I know if it's safe to swim at my local beach?
There are several ways to determine whether it's safe to swim at a beach.
- Check the Current Advisories page. See if the beach is listed. For further information, contact the Beach Program (see below).
- Contact the DES Beach Program at sonya.carlson@des.nh.gov. Staff will be able to give you information on whether the beach is part of the Beach Program and if water quality is monitored at that beach.
- Look for any advisory signs to be posted at the beach entrance. If there are none posted, this will indicate that this beach is not currently posted and is open for recreation. However, the absence of an advisory sign does not necessarily mean that DES has recently monitored the beach.
- Contact your local health official. A health official will be able to inform you whether a beach advisory has been posted at the beach you plan to visit.
- Are there waterfowl present in the area? If not, check the water for any visible signs that waterfowl have been present. Floating feathers are an indication that waterfowl may have been present prior to your visit. Waterfowl at a beach can contribute high levels of E. coli bacteria.
- Do you notice any blue-green colored masses floating in the water? These may indicate the presence of toxic cyanobacteria. If you are at all concerned, please keep your children and domestic animals from entering the water. Contact your local health official/beach manager or the DES Beach Program and indicate where the scum was observed.
Where do I find data for my beach?
Beach data can be found at DES’ OneStop data retrieval site. Follow these instructions once at the OneStop site:
- Click on "Go to OneStop Data Retrieval Site."
- Click on "Environmental Monitoring Data" (currently at bottom of left column).
- Select "Grab Samples," click "Go."
- Type your e-mail address in the first box. Choose "Excel" for Output Type. Scroll to the bottom of the page to choose "Beach Name" (you can also request a specific "Date Range," which is 3 lines above the Beach Name).
- Once you have chosen the beach, click "Submit Query." An e-mail will be sent to you in a few minutes with a spreadsheet of the data.