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“Swimming, diving or wading in water contaminated with fecal bacteria can result in gastrointestinal illness (such as diarrhea or vomiting), respiratory illness and other health problems,” the EPA said. “Skin, ear, eye, sinus and wound infections can also be caused by contact with contaminated water.”<\/p>\n\n<\/button><\/div>\nScanning electron micrograph of enterococci.<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Beach water pollution is often caused by stormwater runoff, leaking sewer\u00a0infrastructure, pet waste, sewer overflows and failing septic systems.<\/p>\n
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The issue is impacting communities from coast to coast, with elevated bacteria levels prompting swimming advisories and beach closures in states ranging from\u00a0New Jersey\u00a0to\u00a0Washington.<\/p>\n
The city that never sleeps may have to stay on shore for now, as elevated bacteria levels trigger swimming advisories at several\u00a0New York\u00a0City beaches.<\/p>\n
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Swimming advisories were issued at several New York City beaches after water samples detected elevated levels of\u00a0enterococci\u00a0bacteria.<\/p>\n
See It: Massive Wave Crashes Over Condo In Hawaii Amid Powerful Swells, Stripping Shingles From The Roof<\/strong><\/p>\nThe affected sites were concentrated in several boroughs in the Big Apple, including in the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn, as well as waterfront swimming areas along Long Island Sound and the city’s southern coastline.<\/p>\n
Officials said the advisories were issued after testing found bacteria levels above state\u00a0health\u00a0standards, with stormwater runoff and aging sewer\u00a0infrastructure\u00a0often cited as contributing factors.<\/p>\n
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According to the\u00a0Massachusetts\u00a0Department of Public Health, 24\u00a0beaches\u00a0closed on Father’s Day weekend, fencing off the public due to elevated levels of bacteria in the\u00a0ocean.<\/p>\n
Beach Nightmare: 2 Dozen Beaches In Massachusetts Close This Weekend Due To High Amounts Of Fecal Bacteria<\/strong><\/p>\nUnfortunately, numerous beaches have closed due to the same issue, as cyanobacteria and an overabundance of other bacteria have invaded the state.<\/p>\n\n<\/button><\/div>\nPeople on a beach near the small fishing community of Menemsha on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA.<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The closures span several popular coastal destinations, including Cape Cod communities such as\u00a0Brewster, Plymouth and Provincetown, as well as North Shore beaches in\u00a0Gloucester, Manchester, Rockport and\u00a0Salem.<\/p>\n
Study Finds Flesh-eating Bacteria, Harmful Algal Blooms In Long Island Waters As Quality Worsens<\/strong><\/p>\nAdvisories were also issued at inland swimming areas in central and western Massachusetts, including locations in Natick, Pittsfield and Templeton, while several beaches in the\u00a0Boston\u00a0area, including sections of Constitution Beach in East Boston, were also affected.<\/p>\n
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In New Jersey, high fecal bacteria levels have triggered swimming advisories at eight New Jersey beaches and lakes, with one being completely shut down by environmental officials.<\/p>\n
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According to the\u00a0New Jersey\u00a0Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP),\u00a0health\u00a0officials test approximately 195 ocean and 25 bay stations along the coast each week. These samples are analyzed for\u00a0Enterococci\u2014a bacteria found in human and animal waste that serves as an indicator of poor water quality.<\/p>\n
High Fecal Bacteria Levels Trigger Swim Advisories, Closures At New Jersey Beaches<\/strong><\/p>\nWhile Enterococci bacteria themselves usually do not cause illness, their presence acts as a warning sign that more dangerous viruses or bacteria could be lurking in the\u00a0water.<\/p>\n\n<\/button><\/div>\nNew Jersey coastline from above.<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Swimming advisories and closures were issued at several beaches and freshwater\u00a0recreation\u00a0areas across the state after testing detected elevated bacteria levels.<\/p>\n
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The affected locations were concentrated along the Jersey Shore, including beaches in Cape May County and Ocean County, with one beach in Upper Township closed entirely.<\/p>\n
What Is The Fecal Bacteria Enterococci And Why Does It Impact Beaches?<\/strong><\/p>\nAdvisories were also posted at inland swimming destinations in Burlington, Sussex and Morris counties, including Mirror Lake, Sleepy Lagoon and Vernon Valley Lake.<\/p>\n
Even land-locked states can’t get away from the day-ruining bacteria.<\/p>\n
Shifting to the\u00a0Midwest, numerous lakes and beaches in\u00a0Iowa\u00a0reported unsafe swimming conditions due to positive traces of E. Coli, according to the state’s\u00a0Department of Natural Resources.<\/p>\n
Man Dies From Rare Flesh-eating Bacteria After Traveling To Help With Hurricane Ian Cleanup<\/strong><\/p>\nState officials issued “swimming not recommended” advisories for eight beaches across Iowa after testing found elevated levels of E. coli bacteria.<\/p>\n
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The affected sites are spread across the state, from Backbone Beach in northeast Iowa and Beeds Lake in north-central Iowa to Lake Darling in the southeast and Black Hawk Lake in the west, highlighting the widespread nature of the water-quality concerns heading into the\u00a0summer\u00a0recreation season.<\/p>\n
While elevated E. coli levels aren’t a guarantee of illness, they are often a sign of fecal contamination and can point to the presence of other disease-causing pathogens.<\/p>\n
Melting Of Billions Of Sea Stars Linked To Killer Bacteria That’s Also Deadly To Humans<\/strong><\/p>\nSwimming in affected waters may increase the risk of stomach bugs, skin rashes, ear infections and respiratory issues.<\/p>\n
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The Pacific\u00a0Northwest\u00a0is the latest region to see summer swimming plans disrupted. Last week, numerous popular swimming areas in\u00a0Washington\u00a0state were closed.<\/p>\n
The latest wave of Washington beach closures occurred when King County health officials shut down swimming areas after water testing found elevated bacteria levels. Most closures are expected to last at least a week or until follow-up testing shows the water is safe for swimmers.<\/p>\n
Several popular swimming areas across the\u00a0Seattle\u00a0metropolitan area and eastern King County were temporarily closed after water testing detected elevated bacteria levels.<\/p>\n
10 Of The Best Beaches To Visit In The Us This Summer<\/strong><\/p>\nThe affected beaches are concentrated around Lake Washington communities, including Seattle, Kirkland and Renton, as well as Lake Meridian in Kent, impacting some of the region’s most frequented freshwater recreation spots during the start of the summer season.<\/p>\n
Original article source:<\/em>\u00a0Elevated bacteria levels force beach closures and swimming advisories across the US<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LONG BEACH, CA – APRIL 21: A sign warns people to stay out of the water at Alamitos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":3376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,48,34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-us","category-weather"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3375"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3377,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3375\/revisions\/3377"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}