ADVISORY ISSUED FOR CAPE CHARLES BEACH
(Nassawadox, Va.) The Northampton County Health Department has issued a swimming advisory for the Cape Charles Town Beach in Cape Charles Virginia. Recent testing conducted by the Virginia Department of Health showed that bacteria levels in the water exceeded the State Water Quality Standards.
Recreational waters are monitored for bacteria using indicator organisms such as enterococci, the indicator of choice for estuarine and marine waters. “The coastal waters of Virginia are generally very clean, and we test them frequently to confirm this,” said District Health Director, David O. Matson, M.D., PhD. “On the occasions when waters do fail to meet the standards, we need to protect public health by letting residents and visitors know.” Signs have been posted at the Cape Charles Town Beach alerting the public of the advisory.
The sign reads:
Warning! Swimming Advisory
Bacteria Levels Do Not Meet State Water Quality Standards
Swimming Not Recommended Until Further Notice
Health officials will continue testing the site, and they will remove the sign and notify the public again when the bacteria levels decrease to levels that meet the standard. Environmental health officials sample Cape Charles Town Beach on a weekly basis during the swimming season from June to September.
Enterococci are a group of organisms used to determine the extent of fecal contamination of recreational waters. While they do not cause illness, scientific studies indicate that their presence is closely correlated to the presence of other disease-causing organisms. People swimming or playing in waters with bacteria levels higher than the standard have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal illness.
“We encourage the public to protect their health by complying with this advisory,” said Dr. Matson. “Typically, an advisory of this nature is temporary and will be withdrawn once the bacteria levels have returned to a safe level.”
For additional information on beach advisories contact the Northampton County Health Department at (757) 442-6228. To learn more about the beach water monitoring program in Virginia visit http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/environmental-epidemiology/beach-monitoring/. For more information about recreational water swimming safety visit the website www.swimhealthyva.com.
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It must be those ‘Chickens’…fried, baked, boiled, roasted, braised and bar-b-qued.
Just in time for tourist season. See previous post re: use of raw chicken sewage as field fertilizer…. I expect the water treatment plant also contributes to the quality of water around CC.
The genie is simultaneously out of the bottle and has come home to roost…
I should think the ciiizens would be notified where this is coming from and not have to draw on their own speculation.
So Mayor Proto, care to comment on this?
Advisory lifted, still don’t you think it important to know where it came from?
I agree with John . What is being done to find the pollution source and eliminate it ?
I realize that volunteers are out there trying to clean up the waste left behind by ignorant people but we need more than that .
How does the beach pollution compare with the Town Harbor pollution in level and type ? Is there a connection ?
Does the beach pollution vary greatly depending on tidal current direction ?