8.20.2010

POETIC POOP



BACK PORCH: Traffic stop







Mama nature has an editorial of her own:

WEST TISBURY - Welcome to Martha’s Vineyard, Mr. President - but don’t go in the water!

President Obama, who took a plunge in the Gulf last week to show Americans it was safe to swim the oil spill-plagued area, arrived on this supposedly pristine island yesterday in the midst of a rash of bacteria-induced beach closings.

Portions of Tisbury Great Pond, the salt-water lagoon fronting the first family’s vacation estate Blue Heron Farm, were closed earlier this week due to high levels of enterococci, an indicator that the water is contaminated with fecal coliform bacteria. Ew.


High levels of enterococci can cause skin irritation, vomiting or diarrhea in swimmers. Which could ruin anyone’s vacation!

"...when we asked another town official whether or not it was safe for the prez to take a dip in the pond, he was a little more informative.

“Depends on whether or not he likes to swim in poop,” joked the longtime islander, who shall remain nameless.

4 comments:

fishy said...

I was thinking he would be right at home in these waters.

Anonymous said...

just for you auntie, Monsanto ice cream. But almost as bad is that you will have to read it in the huffpo

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robbins/is-your-favorite-ice-crea_b_686629.html

moi said...

LOL to Fishy. So, the next question is, how did the waters get to be so, uh, shatty?

Karl said...

Good evening Aunty Belle,

Fishy is right.

The likely cause was heavy rains causing the sewage treatment plants to dump untreated sewage into the water. It's a problem that's far too common in the northeast. In Washington, DC if there is a rain event that releases more than 1/2 inch of rain at one time, causes raw sewage to be dumped into the Potomac River. It's a really big problem.