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DNREC Tests the Water at the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean Beaches

7/21/2012

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Making the Delaware Beaches Safer Through Quality Beach Water Testing by DNREC

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Why does Dr. Kate Connors worry about beach water quality in Nocturne, Opus 1: Sea Foam? First of all, she is the mother of a precocious three-year-old daughter and she loves her dearly. Which parent among us wouldn't pay attention to our child's surroundings, especially in new places like on vacation at the beach? Our first concern would be strangers, followed by activity safety, which includes monitoring how close our child gets to the water, or how far into the water our child goes, or how deep of water our child swims in. Then we think of sharks! (Sorry. But that topic does lurk in the back of most parents' minds, whether they care to admit it or not.) More realistically, in terms of probability of contact, we scan the water's surface for the bobbling, rounded shape of jellyfish. But how many of us also see this standard beach scene through the microscopic and macroscopic eyes of a scientist? 

Kate Connors is a scientist, a medical researcher studying the effects of bacteria on the human body. Specifically, she studies Bacillus nocturne, a normally passive, estuary bacteria that floats harmlessly in rivers, bays and oceans. Why does she study this bacteria? Because the organization that hired her, the Institute for Public Policy and Safety, knows that someone has genetically altered Bacillus nocturne. Kate sees danger where we see children laughing and tumbling in the surf. 

Is there a problem with our beach water quality in the United States? Yes, in some places. A few years ago, I found a sign posted by DNREC, Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, at an entrance to an inland bay beach. It read:

 “The waters of the Inland Bays may contain organisms that could be harmful to your health. Swimming could result in an increased risk of rashes, infections or gastrointestinal distress, especially during and after rainfall. For your health and safety, please swim at beaches with lifeguards where the water quality is tested weekly. For information on beach water quality or to report illnesses resulting from contact with these waters, please call 1-800-922-WAVE or visit www.dnrec.state.de.us.” 

Have you seen water quality warning signs near any of the beaches you've visited? What did they say? 




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Delaware's Atlantic Beaches Earn Top Water Quality Ratings in the Nation

6/30/2012

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Dewey and Rehoboth Beaches Earn Top Water Quality Ratings Again. Congratulations to Everyone Responsible for Maintaining Delaware's Atlantic Beaches' Pristine Conditions.

The National Resources Defense Council's report "Testing the Waters" has once again recognized local Delaware beaches with "Superstar" ratings. Each year the Council evaluates two of the most popular beaches in each state for consideration of its five-star rating. Rehoboth and Dewey Beaches are the most visited beaches in the state and received the top rating. Delaware's other Atlantic Seashore Beaches of Cape Henlopen State Park, Bethany Beach, South Bethany Beach, Delaware Seashore State Park, Fenwick Island, and Fenwick Island State Park all had perfect water quality reports as well in 2011. 


Delaware ranked first overall out of 30 states with beaches for the cleanest water quality in the United States. Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Collin O'Mara said, "With Delaware receiving top honors nationally and both Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach being recognized again by NRDC, Delaware is emerging as the most pristine beach destination in the nation." 


The concerted efforts of local agricultural and retail community members, federal, state, and local government officials and regulators, industry leaders, researchers and educators, beach guards, caretakers, and visitors have made the goal of clean beach water quality a success once again. Thank you, everyone!







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    Dr. Norene Moskalski can often be found walking the beaches of the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, collecting sea glass, weathered minerals, unusual shells, and artifacts from colonial shipwrecks. A naturalist and environmentalist by nature, and a medical diagnostician by avocation, she has a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and has held administrative and teaching positions at Penn State University and Temple University. She has spent most of her life preparing administrators and teachers to lead and teach ethically with love and respect for everyone. The settings for her novels are authentic vignettes from university campuses and places around the world she has visited. Each novel presents a variation on a theme, using literary techniques and musical innuendos to move the action forward. Her plots revolve around the unexpected: What if the most beautiful things in the world are the most dangerous?

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