NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Peninsula Health District issued a swimming advisory for Hilton Park Beach and Huntington Park Beach in Newport News after samples taken Tuesday, July 12 showed that bacteria levels in the water exceeded the state water quality standard. It has now been lifted.
Signs were posted at the beaches alerting the public of the advisory. The signs read, "Warning swimmers - bacteria levels do not meet state water quality standards, swimming not advised until further notice."
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.
Additional samples were collected by health officials on Wednesday and results should be available on Thursday. 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.
“We encourage the public to protect their health by complying with this advisory,” said Mary Wainwright, Environmental Health Manager of the Hampton and Peninsula Health Districts. “Typically, an advisory of this nature is temporary and will be withdrawn once the bacteria levels have returned to a safe level.”
