HARRISON — The town’s beach on Crystal Lake has been closed until further notice after a water test detected an E. coli count over seven times more than recommended levels.

Town Manager Brad Plante said a single test at the lake returned a count of 1,733 bacteria per 100 milliliters of water. The maximum level recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency is 236 bacteria per 100 milliliters.

Plante said he does the water testing once a year around the July 4. He said another test will take multiple samples to be tested by a laboratory run by the Paris Utility District to determine whether the levels are consistently high, but that the results will not be available until later in the week.

“The park’s still open, and if (people) want to sit on the beach, they can certainly sit on the beach, but we don’t want them going into the water,” Plante said.

Swimming lessons run by the town’s recreation department have been canceled as a result of the test, but other Recreation Department programs run at the park will continue as scheduled. A sample taken at a town beach on Long Lake returned acceptable bacteria levels.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, the Escherichia coli group of bacteria includes mostly harmless strains but also different types that can cause disease. A person may become infected by ingesting small amounts of human or animal feces, and the bacteria may cause illnesses such as diarrhea, urinary tract infection, and pneumonia. An infection can potentially become serious or fatal.

Colin Holme, field service director with the Lakes Environmental Association in Bridgton, said the group is helping to advise the town of Harrison. He said the high levels could have come from a number of sources, including a leaking septic system or feces from ducks at the beach.

Holme said that more testing is needed since Plante took only one sample and it may have been contaminated.

“It could just be that the sample had some duck feces in it,” he said. “But if there’s concern that it’s coming from another area, then there are ways to test that.”

Hot weather and lack of rain may have also helped incubate bacteria, and Plante said that the water flow may have helped carry the bacteria to the beach on the southern end of the lake. He said it is up to private landowners on the lake whether they will go into the water, and that they may test water samples at the Paris lab for $20.

“I would guess if I took samples further up the lake it would probably be fine,” he said. “They can make that judgment based on themselves.”

Gretchen Osgood, who operates the Vacationland Campground on Crystal Lake, said she submitted a water sample to the lab upon hearing about the beach closure. She said she has informed campers at the site, and that this is the first time in the four years she has run the campground that there has been an issue with E. coli.

“Nobody seems to be too worried about it, and we’re going to wait and see,” she said.

Plante said he would like to test water levels in other areas of the lake as well.

“Obviously our goal is to figure out what’s going on, get it fixed, and get the beach back open as soon as possible,” he said.

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