NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Virginia Department of Health lifted swimming advisories for two Newport News beaches after testing showed that bacteria levels in the water meet the state water quality standards for recreational waters.
Huntington Beach and King Lincoln Park, the two beaches impacted by the swimming advisory, no longer have advisories in effect as of Friday.
This swimming advisory marked the beginning of the 2022 Virginia Beaches Monitoring season.
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 extent of fecal contamination of recreational waters. While these organisms 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.
