Update Thursday 8/31 3 p.m. The Swimming Advisory for Yorktown Beach has been lifted, according to a press release from the Peninsula Health District.
The Peninsula Health District issued a swimming advisory for Yorktown Beach Wednesday after high levels of bacteria were found in the water.
Samples collected Wednesday showed that bacteria levels in the water exceeded the state water quality standards, according to a Peninsula Health District press release.
Wednesday’s advisory was one of multiple advisories issued for the Peninsula, including Anderson Beach, King Lincoln Park, and Hilton Beach in Newport News.
“We encourage the public to protect their health by complying with this advisory,” said Dr. S. William Berg, director of the Peninsula Health District said in a release. “Typically, an advisory of this nature is temporary and will be withdrawn once the bacteria levels have returned to a safe level.”
The Aug. 29 test was part of a series of routine tests done throughout the summer. Recreational waters are monitored for “indicator organisms” such as enterococci, a group of organisms used to determine the extent of fecal contamination in water.
While the organisms do not cause illness, scientific studies indicate that their presence is closely correlated to the presence of other disease-causing organisms,” the release read. “People swimming or playing in waters with bacteria levels higher than the standard have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal illness.”
Signs were posted at the beach alerting the public of the advisory, the release stated, which read “Warning swimmers – bacteria levels do not meet state water quality standards, swimming not advised until further notice.”
Health officials will remove the signs and notify the public again when the bacteria levels decrease to levels that meet the state water quality standards.
