Barnstable County Water Quality Laboratory Bids Farewell to Seasonal Staff
Labor Day weekend marks the end of the summer season for Barnstable County Water Quality Laboratory and the amazing team of beach samplers and lab assistants who are essential to managing the summer’s busy workload.
Due to the influx of visitors and part-time residents to Cape Cod starting around Memorial Day, demand for water quality testing increases significantly during the summer, requiring the Laboratory to hire full-time temporary staff who work between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
On a weekly basis during the summer, Bathing Beach Sampler/Analysts support the Barnstable County Beach Monitoring Program by collecting samples from 350+ beaches in all of Cape Cod’s 15 towns. These seasonal staff are trained in sample collection, bacteriological water quality analysis, laboratory information management, and data reporting. Their work in recreational beach water monitoring helps ensure the health and safety of thousands of residents and visitors Cape-wide.
Laboratory assistants provide analytical and administrative support in the microbiology and chemistry laboratories, aiding full-time staff with an array of tasks related to drinking water, surface water, and wastewater monitoring.
Many of our seasonal staff are either recently graduated from college, or working towards a college degree in public health, environmental science, chemistry, biology, or another related field. Others are qualified teachers or recent retirees looking to fill their summer days with meaningful, community-centered work.
The staff at Barnstable County Water Quality Laboratory, as well as the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment as a whole, extend our deepest gratitude to all of our seasonal staff for their hard work and dedication. We thank them for braving inclement weather, long days, stormwater induced re-tests, cross-Cape treks, and head-cramping data challenges all in the name of public health.
We couldn’t have done it without you!
