Health District Focusing On Eichler’s Cove, Rabies Case

By John Voket

As Newtown Health District Director Donna Culbert was awaiting preliminary water test results to see if the Parks & Recreation Department could open the Eichler’s Cove swimming area this weekend, her office received its first confirmed local report of rabies this year.

Ms Culbert told The Bee this week that a pet dog tangled with what proved to be a rabid raccoon recently in the Great Ring Road area, and that results of lab tests on the raccoon came back positive for rabies.

Ms Culbert was hopeful that all would turn out well for the dog involved, as well as the dog’s owner, who may have been exposed to the disease. She said the owner was in the process of receiving preventative vaccines and the pet received a rabies booster, and was current on its shots when the incident occurred.

So far this year, the health district has dispatched 14 animals to the lab to test for rabies, and while one sample — a bat — was too deteriorated to test, all the other samples came back negative, she said. Ms Culbert took the opportunity to remind the public that they should not encourage wild animals to congregate near residential property by feeding or otherwise trying to attract them.

While not related to a case of rabies, another issue of wild animals congregating has been on Ms Culbert’s mind for several weeks since a large flock of Canada geese have been targeted as the likely culprits behind highly elevated bacteria counts at the town’s only fresh water bathing area at Eichler’s Cove.

That facility had been closed for nearly two weeks as The Bee went to press the morning of August 12. Ms Culbert said at hat time she was expecting preliminary results of water tests done Wednesday, after a period of heavy rain passed through the area Tuesday evening.

The health district official said she was in touch with the operators of the adjacent Stevenson Dam Wednesday, and was told that sufficient rainfall had occurred to instigate opening up the dam for increased water flow.

Ms Culbert said this action, combined with the fresh infusion of rainwater, could provide a cleansing affect in the somewhat stagnant swimming area and adjacent marina. She said there were plans to test the water again Thursday, with results on that secondary test expected Friday, August 13.

Newtown Inland Wetlands official Ann Astarita said in a memo to Ms Culbert August 3 that normal bacteria growth in the Eichler’s Cove area is a naturally occurring phenomenon, because of warm temperatures, a dredged channel that creates what she termed a “bacteria sink,” and the more stagnant cove waters.

“This section of the [Housatonic] river [of which Lake Zoar is part] does not routinely flush naturally as the currents are not swift,” Ms Astarita wrote.

Ms Astarita reported the likely cause of extremely elevated e-coli bacteria counts was a burgeoning Canada Goose population occupying the area.

The memo provided to The Bee said that on August 3, Ms Astarita and Health District Sanitarian Edward Knapik visited the popular Parks & Recreation-administered facility on Lake Zoar. Between the time the officials arrived, and the time they departed, Ms Culbert said the officials reported the presence of geese increased from a handful to “several dozen.”

Ms Culbert said the rapid assembly of the large contingent of waterfowl as the humans approached could be tied to reports she has received that homeowners in the area are feeding the birds.

“Our own sanitarian, who boats in the area, has seen the geese population increase,” Ms Culbert said. “And it’s disturbing that he’s seen a resident on the Monroe side of the lake feeding them, so now they know there is a food source there.”

The use of coyote cutouts to scare the geese away were not working, according to the memo. Ms Astarita suggested erecting scarecrows or large pinwheels when the beach is closed to scare the birds.

She said moving these items daily would further deter the geese from congregating.

Other suggestions included mounting a water pump with a motion detector to shoot water in the direction of invading waterfowl. But she said that device might also “affect trespassers after hours.”

The wetlands official also suggested formulating a more widespread sampling plan to be designed after existing samples and bacteria trends are analyzed.

Parks and Recreation Director Amy Mangold said her department was looking into several humane methods for discouraging the geese from returning to the immediate area. She said the her department was testing a device that emits a sonic signal that drives geese from the area, but is nearly imperceptible to humans.

Ms Mangold also reminded residents who bought season passes to use Eichler’s Cove, that those passes also permit access to the town pool at Treadwell Park. At press time there were no formal plans to issue credits or refunds to pass holders because of the closure of the beach.

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