NORFOLK, Va. – The swimming advisories that were issued for three Ocean View beaches Tuesday have been lifted.
Wednesday, re-sampling of the water at 5th Bay Street, 10th View and 13th View Beaches determined that the levels of enterococci organisms are now within State Water Quality Standards.
The signs that were posted to alert the public of the advisory have been removed.
Recreational waters are monitored for bacteria routinely during the summer swimming season, using indicator organisms such as enterococci, the indicator of choice for estuarine and marine waters.
Enterococci are a group of organisms used to determine the amount of fecal contamination of recreation water. They do not cause illness, but research shows when enterococci are present, other disease-causing organisms may be as well.
People swimming or playing in waters with bacteria levels higher than the standard have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal illness.
