A report issued late last month ranking Maine coastal beaches close to last in water quality isn’t grounds for canceling summer vacation, but it is a reminder of the vigilant oversight necessary to maintain these valuable areas.

The 23rd annual Testing the Waters report on beach water quality put Maine 27th out of 30 coastal states (including the Great Lakes region). The report, from the Natural Resources Defense Council, said 11 percent of water samples taken from Maine beaches in 2012 exceeded the state’s daily maximum bacterial standard of 104 colonies per 100 milliliters.

Goodies Beach in Knox County, Riverside in Ogunquit in York County, Laite Beach in Knox County, Short Sands Beach in York County, Scarborough’s Ferry Beach, and Crescent Beach in Kittery had the greatest percentage of samples exceed the standard. In York County, 10 percent of samples exceeded the standard, while 9 percent exceeded the standard in Cumberland County. Knox County, at 30 percent, had the highest rate of samples exceeding the health standard.

“A day at the beach shouldn’t turn into a night in the hospital,” Emily Figdor, director of Environment Maine, which announced the report at a press event at East End Beach in Portland, said in a statement. “We need to do everything we can to clean up the sewage and contaminated runoff that put Maine beaches and beach-goers at risk.”

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection, which manages Maine Healthy Beaches, a federally funded testing and educational program, immediately disputed the report’s analysis.

In 2012, the agency said, 95.1 percent of total beach days were free of advisories or closures due to water quality. A summer of heavy rainfall contributed to the water samples’ poor showing at the lab, the agency argued, and 80 percent of the advisories in 2012 were two-day events, the minimum time required to retest the water to make sure the threat has subsided.

The DEP also said wastewater improvements, restoration efforts, and boat pump-out projects ongoing around the state will continue to improve water quality.

“Maine’s beach-goers can be confident that the water is safe to enjoy, and I encourage all to be responsible public stewards of our natural resource,” said DEP Commissioner Patricia Aho.

The number of water samples exceeding the limit in Maine rose just 1.8 percent in 2012, hardly a cause for alarm considering the amount of rainfall Maine experienced compared to other states. It’s also true that projects such as the wastewater-separation construction under way in Portland will cut down on the unhealthy matter that makes it way into the ocean. Maine also has a much shorter testing window than other states – some test year-round, while Maine’s program only lasts the summer. Fewer tests taken only in the busiest months certainly skews the statistics.

But the real issue brought forth by the report comes not at the beginning but more toward the middle. Federal funding for the beach water monitoring program for fiscal year 2014 is in jeopardy. Given the local and state budget issues, it is doubtful that the monitoring would continue in any significant way if the funding is cut. Maine Healthy Beaches keeps local eyes on the water, watching the daily ebb and flow of each area’s health and reacting when necessary. Without the program, it would be tough to tell when a beach’s health is trending downward. For the sake of one of Maine’s best assets, the funding should remain in place.

Beach-goers are also responsible for taking care of the beaches. Children should be brought to the bathroom often, and swim diapers should be used. Trash and pet waste should be disposed properly, as should boat sewage.

Maine’s public beaches are a priceless asset that belong to everybody, and should be treated that way.– Ben Bragdon, managing editor