WELLESLEY ISLAND, N.Y. (WWNY) – You may not be able to go swimming at some of your favorite swimming spots due to high bacteria levels.

Bridget Wright of Save the River conducts a test for E. coli bacteria at The Cove on Wellesley Island.

On Monday, an E. coli count of 4839 was recorded. That is the number of bacterial colonies found in a 100-milliliter sample.

According to the New York State Department of Health, levels should not exceed 235.

According to Wright, the water looked much better on Thursday.

For nine weeks in the summer, Save the River usually tests eight of the most popular swimming spots.

High levels of E. coli were also detected in Sawmill Bay in the town of Lyme, with 2,419 cases.

“The samples we took on Monday had to be diluted by the lab because they were so full of algae. I couldn’t get a clear sample,” Wright said.

One man says he has spent most of his life near the water and such news comes as a shock to him.

“This kind of thing doesn’t happen often. With the weather this year, it’s just rained, no fun,” said Mark Ahlheim, who lives in Sawmill Bay.

Wright says recent rain and wind may be partly responsible for the high levels of bacteria.

“E. coli tends to cling to sand rather than water. But with such heavy rain and wind, it stirs up the bacteria and they float to the surface of the water,” Wright said.

Other reasons for high E. coli levels, according to Wright, are nearby sewage or agricultural runoff.

Both Sawmill Bay and The Cove were tested again on Thursday and conservationists hope better results will be released on Friday.

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