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ADVICE BEACH STATUS SCIENCE RESOURCES PARTNERS HOME
Healthy Beaching is simple!
General Hygiene
Keeping Kids Clean
Beach-Loving Pets and Wildlife
Boating Basics
A little awareness on everyone's part will keep our fresh and salt water beaches clean and beautiful. Don't worry, it's not going to spoil your fun. Staying healthy at the beach can be as simple as remembering your sunscreen.
If Swimmer's Itch is bothering you…
you may want to contact your medical provider. For more information about Swimmer's Itch and Swimmer's Ear, visit the CDC Web site.
GENERAL HYGIENE
•  Wash your hands after you use the bathroom or assist children in the bathroom. Use soap, sanitary wipes or liquid hand sanitizers. Count to ten while washing and you'll know you've got the job done.  
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It may seem like fun to spout like a whale, but avoid swallowing beach water and try not to let any get in your mouth.

  
  •  Don't swim if you have diarrhea or feel like you might vomit.  
  •  Leave the water immediately if there is a diarrhea or vomiting accident. Notify the lifeguard, beach manager and/or the toll-free Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention reporting number (1-800-821-5821 or 1-800-606-0215 TTY) to notify officials about the incident.  
  •  Share the knowledge! Many people are not aware that beach health risks exist.  
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KEEPING KIDS CLEAN
•  Take your children for frequent bathroom breaks. Sometimes "I have to go" means "I already went!"  
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Change diapers frequently, always away from the water's edge — in a bathroom if possible.

  
  •  Dispose of diapers properly. Place them in trash receptacles or seal them in a plastic bag to carry out with you.  
  •  Never bury diapers in the sand. Animals or children may dig them up.  
  •  If a toddler is going in the water, use "swim diapers" with absorbent padding that helps prevent leaks. But please remember, swim diapers are not a substitute for frequent diaper changes.  
  •  Wash your kids' hands when they've been in the bathroom. A sanitary wipe or liquid hand sanitizer can do the trick when no other facilities are nearby (some beaches may only have port-o-potties or outhouses).  
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BEACH-LOVING PETS AND WILDLIFE
•  Treat the beach like your neighborhood street. Scoop the poop and carry it out. Keep an empty plastic bag tied to your dog's leash so you're always prepared!  
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Remember that dogs are not allowed on many of Maine's beaches during the summer months so please check the rules posted at your favorite beach or water-side park.

 
  •  Do not feed the gulls and other birds or wildlife on or near the beach. Their feces will end up in the swimming water.  
  •  Trash may attract wildfowl and other animals. Please remember to carry out all trash or dispose of it securely in the receptacle provided.  
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BOATING BASICS
•  Download our new Boater's
Education brochure here!
Available June 10th		  
  •  Keeping Maine's beaches healthy isn't just about kids and adults, or even animals on the beach. It's also about boaters, who can cause serious contamination problems if they fail to dispose of waste properly.  
  •  Under the Clean Water Act of 1977, raw sewage may not be dumped overboard within the three-mile territorial limits of U.S. waters. Also, no sewage, treated or untreated, may be discharged into certain sensitive waters called No Discharge Zones, created to protect aquatic habitats and drinking water intake zones. In Maine, Casco Bay is a No Discharge Zone Area—only a Type III Marine Sanitation Devices are allowed.  
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The U.S. Coast Guard has approved three methods for disposing of sewage, with Type III being the recommended method.

  1. A Type I Marine Sanitation Device (MSD) treats sewage with disinfectant chemicals and other means before it is discharged into the water. The treated discharge must meet certain health standards for bacteria content and must not show any visible floating solids.
  2. A Type II MSD is similar to Type I, but must meet a higher level of sewage treatment.
  3. A Type III device is a holding tank; when a boat reaches a marina with a pumpout station, the sewage is removed from the tank, and in most cases is directed to a municipal waste treatment facility.
  
  •  The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has created the Maine Pumpout Grant Program (PGP) to install more pumpout facilities along the entire Maine coast, help marina owners cope with the cost of operating a pumpout system, and provide information to boaters about the impacts of sewage discharges and the importance of sanitary waste management. The PGP will pay 75% (90% for municipalities) of the cost of pumpout system installation, including construction and equipment costs, and the cost of connection to a sewer system or holding tank. A new feature of the PGP is an available operations and maintenance grant that will pay 75% (90% for municipalities) of the ongoing costs of the pumpout system.  
  •  The Maine DEP's goal is to have pumpout facilities within 4 miles of the State's top 100 navigable harbors. Maine currently has 86 pumpout stations on the coast and on major lakes.  

 

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