Beach Surveillance
To protect the public's health and safety, the Stratford Health Department staff collect water samples from Stratford's beaches weekly from Memorial Day until Labor Day. Samples are then sent to the State laboratory for analysis. If elevated levels of bacteria are detected in the water samples an advisory is issued to warn beachgoers against entering the water, and swimming is prohibited until further testing indicates that the problem has been corrected. In addition to banning swimming when laboratory tests indicate unacceptably high bacteria counts, the Health Department introduced a policy several years ago whereby swimming is automatically prohibited for a minimum of 24 hours following a rainfall that exceeds 1 inch, and 48 hours or more following rainfall of 2 inches or greater.
The public can learn about the status of our beaches by calling the Stratford Health Department at (203) 385-4090, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 am - 4:30 pm or the Recreation Department at (203) 385-4052, Monday through Saturday between the hours of 9:00 am –2:00 pm. On Sundays, the public can call the Recreation Department’s answering machine at (203) 385-4129 for a taped message about beaches closures. Beach closures are also routinely publicized on the WICC radio station, the Stratford Health Department's Facebook page, and the Town of Stratford website.
For a copy of Stratford Health Department's Beach Closure Policy, click here.
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