Recent news coverage concerning e.coli in the sand triggered a flurry of phone calls to the Friends of the Bay office. Sand on the shores of the Great Lakes was tested and found to be high in e.coli bacteria. People were understandably concerned, however, when you stop to think about it...picture your favorite beach, whether it be Centre Island, Roosevelt Beach, Tobay, or any of the other beautiful beaches Long Island is blessed with, on a sunny afternoon. There are lots of people walking on the beach, some barefoot, some in shoes or sandals. Children and babies are playing in the sand. Some of those babies are probably overdue for a diaper change. People are eating on the beach - some of the food is falling in the sand, and some of it is being shared with seagulls and other shorebirds. The birds are doing, well, what birds do on the beach. It is pretty obvious the sand is not going to be pristine...

We checked with the Nassau County Health Department. They do not test the sand for e.coli, because there is no standard to compare it to. They believe the risk to public health is very low. The real risk lies in the water, not the sand. Sand is not usually ingested, as water can be by a swimmer. A rain event washes the e.coli into the water. Friends of the Bay testing has shown the coliform counts to be well below the level considered to be of concern by Nassau County. The Health Department recommended taking common sense precautions like washing your hands well before eating. If you can't wash your hands, there are plenty of antibacterial wipes and washes available on the market now. Also, warn your children not to put sand in their mouths.

Now for this week's results - the dissolved oxygen readings taken on 7/25/05 had improved from our readings taken on 7/18/05. The lowest reading of 1.73 milligrams/Liter was taken at Site 3, mid channel off the oil terminals in Cold Spring Harbor. The highest reading was 6.06 mg/L in the middle of the West Harbor. Our "most improved" site would be Site 12, at Turtle Cove in Centre Island. The reading went from an unhealthy 1.6 mg/L to a good reading of 5.90 mg/L. The readings we are reporting are taken 1/2 meter off the bottom of the bay.

We saw bluefish jumping in Cold Spring Harbor and in Oyster Bay Cove, which frustrated Hank our boat captain to no end, since the Friends of the Bay boat Baywatch does not come equipped with a fishing pole! The young osprey we have been watching all season are thriving, and look like they are getting ready to be on their own.

If you would like to become one of our water quality monitoring volunteers, are interested in other ways of assisting in our effort to preserve and protect the waters of the Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor estuary, or want to report an activity that may be threatening the estuary/watershed please visit us online at www.friendsofthebay.org or give us a call at 516-922-6666.