During summer without cruise ships, researchers will study fecal bacteria on Southeast Alaska beaches

Two sites near Mountain Point, shown here on a gray May day, are among those monitored for elevated levels of fecal coliform and enterococci bacteria. (Eric Stone/Alaska’s Energy Desk)
A state and federal program that monitors bacteria levels at Ketchikan-area beaches is back for another year. And researchers with the EPA-funded BEACH program say they have a unique opportunity this summer.
It’s an exciting time to be a water scientist in Southeast Alaska. For the past three summers,