Bacteria level high; warning at 3 beaches

Little did Harper know that the red flag flapping behind them meant beach-goers enter the water at their own risk.

The state Department of Conservation and Recreation found high bacterial counts yesterday in the water at three beaches, making them unsafe for swimming. Besides Carson, Tenean beach in Dorchester and half of Wollaston Beach in Quincy were affected, said Wendy Fox, a department spokeswoman.

“Holy smokes,’’ said Harper, 46, of South Boston after learning about the bacterial levels yesterday afternoon. “It stinks.’’

Her sister, Christine M. Harper, 44, agreed. “It’s kind of lousy, especially for the kids, because [swimming at the beach is] what they look forward to,’’ she said.

Heavy rains in recent weeks washed animal waste from yards and sidewalks into the ocean, contaminating water and increasing bacterial counts, Fox said. “Nothing can be done. [We have to] wait for the tides to flush out the bays and harbors.’’

The department removed Carson from the list of affected beaches on its hot line late yesterday afternoon.

During the summer, Fox said, her department collects water samples daily from beaches across the state to test them for levels of the bacteria enterococci.

If a sample from a beach has a count higher than 104 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters of water, a red flag, depicting a swimming figure with a line across it, is placed there.

But many said they had either not noticed the flags or had no idea what they meant.

“It shouldn’t just be a flag,’’ said Abigail E. Bickmore, 22, who stood in shallow water at Carson Beach yesterday afternoon with a friend and two children she was baby-sitting.

“They should have someone walking around telling people,’’ said her friend, Natasha Erickson, who was visiting from Utah.

Laurence Hartford, 50, who lives near Carson Beach, said he chose to ignore the warning.

Swimming “does me more good than it does bad,’’ he said as he came out of the water and walked home. “After five weeks of nasty, inclement weather, I’ve been choosing to swim,’’ he said, adding that he tries not to swallow the water and flushes out his sinuses after the dip.

Bickmore, too, said the high bacterial count did not bother her. “It’s common knowledge that the water is polluted,’’ she said.

Swimming in contaminated water can cause diarrhea, vomiting, itching, and infections, according to the state Department of Public Health website.

Some people who did not go to the beach to swim were unruffled.

Charlene A. Roscia, 54, of Stoughton sunbathed at Wollaston while her husband, Anthony, played an electronic game of Yahtzee. The Roscias said they never swim at the Quincy beach.

“They keep on saying they are going to clean it up, but I don’t know,’’ Roscia said.

Jayakrishna can be reached at njayakrishna@globe.com.