Attitash is green, but not dangerous
The water may not look terribly inviting, but at this point it's not considered dangerous.
That's the basic message from the Merrimac Board of Health regarding the algae blooms in Lake Attitash. The board has been getting inquiries about the bloom and the greenish color along the lakefront, according to Eileen Hurley of the board.
"When Amesbury had the water sampled on July 9, the result was an E. coli count of 4. The allowable limit is 235," she wrote. "At this time there is not a cause for health concerns."
"Algae can be present due to stagnation, not enough rain, excessive heat, or a lot of sun. Any one or all causes are contributors. It does not indicate that there is necessarily a presence of E. coli. In the past the lake has exhibited a greenish color but was not unfit for bathing."
She wrote that if there were any sign of the E. coli count increasing, water testing would be done to ensure the public is not at risk.
