There have been a number of inquires related to water quality at Wells Beaches over the past week. The Town of Wells partners with the Maine Healthy Beaches (MHB) program to monitor water quality and notify the public of unsafe swimming conditions at Wells Beach, Casino Square, Crescent Beach, Wells Harbor, and Drakes Island Beach. Samples are collected on a weekly basis and tested for the fecal indicator bacteria, enterococci. This bacteria is used to indicate the possible presence of pathogens in the environment. When available, these results are provided on the Maine Healthy Beaches Dashboard. While bacteria values are occasionally elevated above Maine’s safety threshold (104 MPN/100mL) at Wells Beaches, particularly Wells Harbor, those results typically return to safe levels within 1-2 days. If advisories are issued, they will be posted on the Maine Healthy Beaches Dashboard and on physical signs at the beach.