Swimming advisories issued for three Norfolk beaches, high levels of fecal contamination

The Norfolk Department of Public Health has issued swimming advisories for three Ocean View beaches: Community Beach, Ocean View Beach and Sarah Constant Beach, due to high bacteria levels.

Water testing conducted Monday revealed enterococci bacteria levels at these sites exceeding state water quality standards.

Enterococci bacteria are a group of indicator organisms used to determine the extent of fecal contamination in recreational waters.

While enterococci bacteria do not generally 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 state standards have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal illness.

Signs were posted to alert the public of these advisories.

Health officials will continue testing beach water and will remove posted signs and notify the public when the bacteria levels decrease to meet state standards.

The Environmental Health Division of the Norfolk Department of Public Health samples Ocean View beach water on a weekly basis, during the swimming season, from late-May through mid-September.

For further information, call the environmental health division of Norfolk Department of Public Health at (757) 683-2712.