Another water notice is lifted, one remains

One advisory and one alert against swimming were issued Tuesday at two ocean-side sites in Dare County, where state officials found bacteria levels in the water that exceed state and Environmental Protection Agency recreational water quality standards.

State officials also lifted an advisory at an ocean-side site in Dare County where water testing showed bacteria levels have dropped below the standards set for swimming and water play.

The advisory was issued for the public beach access at mile post 15 in Nags Head.

State officials posted a sign at the site to notify the public of the risks of swimming in the area within 200 feet of the sign.

An alert was issued for waters at the public beach access at East Sportsman Drive at Avalon Pier in Kill Devil Hills. Later in the day, that alert was dropped.

An alert is a pending advisory based on results of a second sample taken on Wednesday, and a sign is not posted at the swimming site, but public notification is required.

An advisory posted July 25 was lifted at the public beach access at the bathhouse on Ocean Bay Boulevard in Kill Devil Hills.

Further testing at the site found that levels have fallen below the standard, and the sign advising against swimming has been removed.

The N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program tests water quality at ocean and sound beaches in accordance with federal and state laws.

State recreational water quality officials sample 240 sites throughout the coastal region, most of them on a weekly basis, from April to October.

Testing continues on a reduced schedule during the rest of the year, when the waters are colder.

More on the web: Division of Marine Fisheries Interactive Sampling Map Data

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