HEBRON, Conn. — Over the last couple of days, the Nutmeg State has seen lots of rain, which has resulted in flooding. Because of that, the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has expressed concern about water quality issues.
DEEP travels the state on a weekly basis to test the water.
However, that job becomes urgent after a storm where different water and sewer systems may become overwhelmed with water.
On Tuesday, environmental analysts with DEEP traveled to all state parks to test for indicator bacteria.
Tracy Lizotte and her crew collected samples at Gay City State Park in Hebron. The day before, it was too dangerous, she said.
"In a park like this, there could be a lot of tree damage. So we wanted to hear from parks that it was safe to send out crews out," Lizotte said.
But getting out there when they can is important.
"Everything we do on the land carries into our water, and our water reflects that. Whether it's bacteria from pet waste or wildlife," Lizotte said.
In some urban areas, the samples tend to carry raw sewage after storms.
Lizotte said that's because that infrastructure was built years ago and when it's overwhelmed with water, it flows into Connecticut waterways.
Lizotte has already seen evidence of that across the state.
"The Connecticut River and our various rivers, a lot of them are running brown, (which) means there was a lot of scouring and sediment material that was picked up," she added.
Which can end up making people sick, especially those who have weakened immune systems.
And with the temperatures rising across the state over the next couple of days, DEEP wants to make sure they get those samples tested rapidly so everyone can enjoy Connecticut's waterways.
DEEP is expecting to have results gathered for Wednesday morning.
Until then, they recommend that everyone stays out of the water at state beaches and parks.
This particularly applies to surface water in areas close to drainage pipes like they have in Norwalk, Bridgeport, Hartford, Norwich and New Haven.
Residents are advised not to swim, fish, or use paddle craft in those areas for now.
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