The Francestown Recreation Department has closed public access to Scoby Pond (also know as Haunted Lake), including the beach and the boat ramp, due to dangerously high levels of E coli bacteria in the water.  

Recreation Commission Chair Bob Bitterli said during Monday’s Francestown Select Board meeting that after residents reported what looked like “contamination” in the lake over the weekend, the Recreation Department roped off access to the beach and the boat ramp. 

“We have heard that two swimmers have gotten sick,” Bitterli said. 

Town Administrator Jamie Pike said the results of water tests performed by the state Department of Environmental Services indicate the pond has 2,000 times the acceptable level of E. coli bacteria, which is generally caused by sewage contamination. Pike noted that heavy rains, such as in the previous week, can cause septic systems to overflow, but that the exact source of the E. coli in the pond is unknown.

According to a fact sheet from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, E. coli levels at designated swimming beaches should not exceed 88 per 100 milliliter (mL) in any one sample, or exceed a three-sample average of 47/100 mL. Recreational waters that are not designated beaches should not have more than 406 E. coli/100 mL in any one sample, or more than 126/100 mL in a three-sample average.

According to the Clean Lakes Alliance, if a water sample has high concentrations of E. coli, other more dangerous and infectious organisms may be present. Children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are most vulnerable to E. coli. Healthy people who are exposed to E. coli usually recover on their own with rest and drinking plenty of fluids, but people at higher risk can develop more severe illnesses. The Mayo Clinic states that symptoms can include diarrhea, stomach cramping, pain or tenderness and nausea and vomiting, in some people

Bitterli said that the Scoby Pond Community Association had been informed of the bacterial contamination. 

“We will just keep testing the water until it is cleared. That is all we can do,” Pike said. “This may be an ongoing problem that we have not known about.” 

The state Department of Environmental Services will continue to monitor the pond, and the Town of Francestown will update the public about the situation through the town website, francestownnh.org.