East End Beach in Portland is one of only two beaches in Casco Bay that is regularly tested for water pollution - three times a week. Willard Beach in South Portland is the other. And even though East End has had its share of advisory days this summer because of contaminated runoff caused by heavy rains, Joe Payne of the Waterkeepers Alliance says water quality has improved dramatically in the last 20 years.

"East End Beach is a success story because there used to be a combined sewage overlfow here," Payne says.  "That meant when it rained sewage came out right here.  Of course, in the old days it didn't take rain.  But that combined sewage overflow has been eliminated and we've won back an urban beach."

Swimmers might not be swimming in sewage and the beach might be one of the few beaches in Maine to be tested for water quality more than once a week, but Payne says that doesn't guarantee a clean bill of health.  That's because the standard for bacteria and other pollutants is not what Payne and other clean water advocates would like it to be.  "Even if this beach had no closures or no advisories and was open all the time, the statistics and the math that go beyond the standard means that people can still get sick.  It assumes there will be illness even on days when the bacteria count is low, and of course the sickness is underreported because its diarrhea, nausea, pink eye.  People don't know they necessarily got it from the beach.  Maybe they think they had a bad burger."

The federal public health standard for water quality is more than 20 years old and does not cover the full range of water borne illnesses that can make beach goers sick.  Congress has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to modernize the standard, but so far that hasn't happened.  In addition, it takes about a day to get test results back.  Garrett Schlein of Environment Maine says The Clean Coastal Environment and Health bill pending in Congress could help states implement testing and make it faster. 

Schlein says failure to test more than once a week is one reason Maine beaches failed to achieve four or five stars out of a possible five on the beach report's rating guide.  "One of our strongest beach performers was the Long Sands Beach in York County with three stars while one of our lowest performing beaches was the Old Orchard Beach, also in York County with two stars.  This can be improved simply by implementing testing procedures."

John Glass is the fire chief and the beach manager for the town of Old Orchard Beach where testing is done once a week and where monitoring results are posted online and on lifeguard stands.  "I don't feel it's a failure on our part.  Maybe it's a goal we should look at trying to achieve."

Glass says he's pleased with the report's two star designation, even though the report finds that Old Orchard Beach has not yet hit the three-year benchmark for water quality, testing frequency or issuing advisories promptly.  "It does indicate that we are doing the right thing and we're watching our beach the way we should be and advising people of what our conditions are and to me, that is quite an achievement."

Back at East End Beach, Catherine Anderson of Portland says she appreciates signs advising beach water conditions, especially since she has two young children, one of whom appears to like to sample it.

Susan:  "Did you tell him not to put his mouth in the water?"

Catherine:  "Well, your face indicates to me that you think that's a really bad idea!"

Susan:  "When you come to the beach do you have an assumption that the water's clean?"

Catherine:  "I do have an assumption that the water is safe for my children to be in and get some in their body in some form, and in the past I've seen them taking the water tests and posting the results."

As for Casco Baykeeper Joe Payne and Garrett Schelin of Environment Maine, both say they would absolutely swim at East End Beach.  One big reason why:  because they know the water is being regularly tested and advisories posted.