The AuSable River has long been a source of beauty, recreation and leisure, Crisp, clean, pure water that residents of the North Country can swim in, fish in, or just gaze at. But is the AuSable as clean as we all thought? According to a recent study by the Department of Environmental Conservation the answer is no. After testing the public beach in Wilmington, high levels of fecal coliform bacteria were found, and the Wilmington Public Beach had to be closed for 11 days.

Did you say Fecal?

Fecal coliform is a form of bacteria associated with fecal matter. While mostly harmless when in the “gut” of warm-blooded animals, fecal coliform in a water source indicates that human or animal feces have contaminated the water source. If a water source has been in contact with fecal matter, some pathogens and other harmful bacteria associated with fecal matter may also be in the water source. Prolonged exposure to highly contaminated area could lead to typhoid fever, hepatitis A and viral or bacterial gastroenteritis. E. coli is a member of this group. Now keep in mind, it would take a lot of fecal matter to have caused officials to shut down a public beach. The question remains, where did all this bacteria come from?

Full to Capacity

Think back to last summer and a little thing I like to call the ESPN Outdoor Games. Lake Placid sure was full of people. Coincidentally, the Lake Placid Waste Water Treatment Facility happened to have an upset where partially untreated sewage and sludge leaked out into the Chubb River. Hey, isn't the Chubb River connected to the AuSable River, right near Wilmington? Weird coincidence I guess.

Survey Says…

As a result of this happy little “coincidence” and the testing after that, the DEC signed an order of consent that required the facility to upgrade the defunct system that caused the leak. Says David Winchell, spokesperson for the DEC's Region five office, “As of June 2003, we are conducting a three year ongoing study of the leak and contamination, one of the goals being an upgrade of waste water treatment to be done by the end of the study. The study was prompted by concerns from the town of Wilmington over their beach being closed down.”

Home Sweet Gut

What interests DEC officials the most is the fact that the bacteria even stayed around long enough to cause problems. Explains Winchell, “Fecal coliform thrives in the guts of warm-blooded animals. Its best environment is hot, full of nutrients and has low oxygen levels. The AuSable is the exact opposite environment. It should have killed it off.” As such, the DEC is looking to determine if there are other sources of the coliform. Faulty septic tanks in the area around the beach are a possible cause as well. Another cause of fecal coliform is decay in plant material, so a possible compost pile too near the water could be causing the contamination.

No More Leaks

Even so, it is a fact that the Lake Placid facility did leak into the Chubb. Placid officials should have prepared for such an influx of people. The Outdoor Games were being touted as showcasing how great Lake Placid was because it was the third consecutive year they had won the opportunity to host the games. In an article announcing that Lake Placid would be hosting the games, Governor Pataki was quoted as saying "The fact that Lake Placid is now a perfect three-for-three in winning the rights to host the ESPN Great Outdoor Games is a testimony to our athletic legacy and proven ability in accommodating world-class sporting events. More and more world-class competitions are being held here because of our strong determination to put more dollars from Albany into new equipment and upgraded venues. Those dollars helped us invest in Lake Placid, in turn attracting more visitors and sporting events that strengthen the local economy."

Photo by Joe Samuelson III

The faster flowing section of the Ausable aren't as much of a worry

No Dumping Zone

Obviously no one thought about where all these people were going to dump their waste. Lake Placid is an already thriving community, in the summer its numbers usually double thanks to tourists. Add on another 60,000 Outdoor Games fanatics to that already booming total and you have a recipe for fecal disaster.

Regardless of where the fecal coliform is really coming from, the fact remains that its there and it posed and could still pose a threat to those who regularly use the AuSable or Chubb River. The results from the DEC's study still remains to be seen but this reform of the Lake Placid Waste Water Treatment Facility should have been sooner in coming. Hopefully Wilmington and other towns along the two rivers won't have to go through this coliform scare again.

Disgusted by the dirty Ausable? Tell us about your reaction to this story!

Water Bacteria Fecal coliform- caused by fecal matter and decaying plant matter. Causes typhoid fever, hepatitis A and viral or bacterial gastroenteritis Want to research more information on fecal coliform? Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium- Protozoal parasites caused by fecal matter in animals and humans. Causes diarrhea, nausea, and/or stomach cramps. Can be fatal to individuals who are immunosuppressed Need more information on protozoal parasites? For your own safety, we recommend you look up more information on water quality, testing and other dangers in drinking water.