Beach at Vana Pärnu cleared for bathing after fecal pollution scare
Samples taken from the sea water on the beach at Vana Pärnu on Thursday of last week and on Monday showed the fecal pollution detected in the water on July 13 had disappeared.
In the samples taken on July 13, the parameter for intestinal enterococci was 320 and the parameter for Escherichia coli 440. The maximum permitted amount of the former in bathing water is 100 and of the latter 1,000 colony forming units per milliliter of water (CFU/100 mL).
In the sample taken on July 16, the indicators had declined to 76 and 250, respectively, whereas in the regular sample taken by the city government on July 20 the rates of presence of the respective bacteria were 86 and 428.
Marve Virunurm, chief specialist in environmental affairs and city maintenance at Parnu city government, said that the fluctuations in the cleanness indicators of bathing water in Vana Parnu may have many reasons, including a storm, cows, humans, and polluted ground.
She said that during the storm of July 11 the beach was flooded, whereas on June 25, when the indicators also surpassed norms, the pollution rather may have originated from the sea.
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Editor: Helen Wright
