July in Windham County started out hot and excessively rainy, but ended with more seasonable rainfall and temperature levels.
That change in the weather has made for cleaner water at local swimming holes in Windham County, according to the latest round of testing by the Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance's (SeVWA's) water quality monitoring program.
Water samples taken on July 31 found all but two swimming holes in the West River and Whetstone Brook watersheds had E. coli results below the Vermont and EPA standard for swimming suitability of 235 E. coli per 100 milliliters of water.
On the West River, Milk House Meadows in Brattleboro had a reading of 49, while the swimming hole beneath the Dummerston Covered Bridge had a reading of 50, and the Brookline Bridge swimming hole checked in at 48. A sample from South Londonderry above the Route 100 bridge saw 124.
The lone site on the West River to have exceeded the 235 standard was Rowes Road in South Londonderry, as a pair of samples had readings of 299 and 411.
Indian Love Call, on the Rock River in Newfane, registered 10, while Pikes Falls in Jamaica saw 21.
The Whetstone Brook behind the former site of the Brattleboro Food Co-op jumped from 118 in the July 17 test to 771 on July 31, while, further upstream by the Brattleboro Farmers' Market, a 112 reading was logged.
Sites on the Williams River were all under the limit. Herricks Cove in Rockingham was the lowest at 11, while Missing Link Road bridge in Chester was highest at 84.
Only one site on the Saxtons River exceeded the 235 standard: Sandy Beach in Westminster, at 411. Two other Saxtons River sites - below the wastewater treatment plant (35 and 38) and at Stickney Field (52.9) - checked out OK.
SeVWA says that swimming in water with an E. coli level greater than 235 per 100 milliliters puts one at a greater risk of developing a waterborne illness.
The final tests of the season take place on Wednesday, Aug. 14 and 28. Results will be posted at bit.ly/1dfKDHx.