Murky Waters

It’s been a delicious hot spell, the days sunny but not excessively so and the nights cool. Perfect Island weather. Perfect for summer. Perfect for swimming.

Alas, carefree swimming has been elusive this summer on the Vineyard. Beaches public and private have been open and closed and open and closed so frequently over the past two weeks that the most seasoned swimmer might get whiplash. Even water on the vast ocean of the south shore, at Long Point, tested positive for enterococci, a bacteria that can cause rashes and gastrointestinal complaints, or worse, particularly in the young, elderly and others with less robust immune systems.

Vineyarders are justifiably proud of the quality of life on the Island, and the clean, clear waters are among myriad environmental riches that make living here worth the many inconveniences. But the sparkling shoreline also fuels a critical piece of our economy, tourism, attracting not only longterm seasonal residents but thousands of weekenders and daytrippers who check conditions online before making their passage to the Vineyard.

From the first reports of tainted water, the patchwork of affected beaches has made little sense. High bacteria readings forced closures in Oak Bluffs and West Tisbury, but oddly not neighboring Tisbury, whose waters are more trafficked by heavy transport. It is hard to imagine that crystal-clear water in West Tisbury and Oak Bluffs, in which you can stand neck-deep and still see your toes, was reading dirty, while Tisbury, smack in between, was testing clean. Oddly, the bacteria likewise seemed to be limited to one spot on the south shore, traveling neither east nor west.

Town officials and other stewards of public beaches have followed the rules to the letter, sending off samples for testing and notifying swimmers of any potential harm — and for that they should be applauded. But privately many are skeptical of the erratic bacteria readings they have received. Many local swimmers, equally bewildered by getting different guidance on adjacent beaches, have simply ignored the warnings.

Edgartown beaches, on a monthly testing schedule because of their clean record, did not come up for testing until this week. Wary of the other recent water-testing results, Edgartown health agent Matt Poole considered the situation. Noting that Tisbury used its own lab and the other towns use the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) lab, Mr. Poole sent Edgartown’s water to both labs. He also sent in water he’d poured from a Poland Spring bottle, the kind we pay a dollar or so a bottle to drink. The results he received from the Tisbury lab showed no bacteria in the bottled water and acceptable levels for the ocean water. The results from Aquinnah found bacteria in the bottled water and readings for the ocean water that would have required the closure of South Beach.

Kendra Newick, the manager of the Aquinnah lab, and Bret Stearns, natural resources manager, attributed the differences in the readings to the samples themselves, and not to any problem with the Aquinnah process. They maintained that the lab follows strict quality control in its testing.

Ensuring that our beaches are clean and safe for our citizens and visitors is paramount, and if there are health risks in the water, these can’t be taken lightly. At the same time, the economic health of our Island is also closely linked to the ability of visitors to enjoy fully the pleasures of the shoreline. If there is an underlying issue that is causing pollution of our beaches, the Island collectively needs to get to the bottom of it. The question of what beaches stay open and what are closed can’t simply be a matter of which lab is used.