Mid-June through Labor Day each swim season, personnel from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services monitor and sample approximately 170 inland and 15 coastal public bathing beaches. Inspectors collect two to three bacteria samples per beach and assess on-site facilities and surrounding areas for health threats. The program involves conferring with lifeguards and the public to address concerns.
Use Cases
- Analyze seasonal trends in bacteria_sample counts across inland and coastal beaches.
- Correlate inspection findings for on-site_toilet_facilities and bathing_area conditions with public health concerns.
- Model potential_health_threats based on geographic location (lake, river, coastal) and inspection frequency.
- Assess spatial coverage by comparing data from approximately 170 lake/river beaches with 15 coastal/estuarine beaches.
Strengths
- Monitoring covers approximately 185 distinct public bathing beaches.
- Specified temporal coverage for data collection is each swim season from mid-June through Labor Day.
- Inspection frequency is documented (monthly for inland, weekly/bi-weekly for coastal beaches).
Limitations
- Exact sample size (row count) and data volume are unknown.
- Specific measured parameters beyond bacteria sampling are not detailed.
- Data is limited to the state of New Hampshire, reducing geographic generalizability.
Provenance
- Source
- New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
- Collection Method
- Field monitoring and sample collection by DES Beach Inspectors.
- Time Range
- Annual swim season (mid-June through Labor Day).
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- State of New Hampshire, USA (inland lakes/rivers and coastal/estuarine beaches).