Water quality swimming advisories lifted for two sound-side sites in Carteret County

The advisories were lifted because water testing shows that bacteria levels have dropped below the state’s and Environmental Protection Agency’s standards set for swimming and water play.

The advisories were posted yesterday at the public swimming area at the west end of North River bridge off U.S. 70 near Otway and at the public swim area west of the ferry landing off Sound View Drive in Cedar Island. Test results showed these sites had exceeded 276 enterococci per 100 milliliters of water, the standard for low-usage sites. These areas now show bacteria levels below the state and federal recreational water quality standards.

The signs advising against swimming, skiing or otherwise coming into contact with the water have been removed.

An additional advisory that was posted yesterday near Morehead City remains in effect for the Newport River at the public access northwest of the U.S. 70 high-rise bridge.  State officials will continue testing this site, and they will remove the sign and notify the public when the bacteria levels decrease to levels below the standard.

Enterococci, the name for the group of bacteria used for testing, are found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals. While the bacteria group’s presence does not cause illness itself, scientific studies indicate that the presence of enterococci is closely correlated to the presence of other organisms that may cause illness. People swimming or playing in waters with bacteria levels higher than the standards have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal illness.

Coastal recreational waters in North Carolina are generally clean. However, it is important to continue monitoring them, so the public can be informed of any localized problems. The N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program samples 204 sites in coastal waters of the state, most of them on a weekly basis from April through October.

For more information about the program, visit its website at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/recreational-water-quality or on Twitter.com @ncrecprgm.

This article originally appeared on The Daily News: Water quality swimming advisories lifted for two sound-side sites in Carteret County