SALISBURY — Vermont State Parks officials on Thursday closed the swimming beach at Branbury State Park in Salisbury due to a high bacteria count.
State employees at the gate to the park said people were not allowed in the water, but they could use all of the other facilities in the park. Admission to the park was free today.
They said that a water test on Thursday morning showed an elevated level of E.coli bacteria, prompting them to put a moratorium on swimming there until the E.coli levels go down. A park official said they will sample the water again on Friday morning at 10 a.m. and determine then whether they will open the beach for swimming or not.
Branbury beach was closed last August after an outbreak of stomach illness, and remained closed for an entire weekend. Park employees at the gate had no idea when they beach would reopen but hoped it would happen on Friday.