Swim warnings remain in effect for handful of coastal areas

Updated Tuesday, Aug. 27: State recreational water quality officials lifted Tuesday an advisory for the Sandy Bay soundside access at the Pamlico Sound near Frisco along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which was posted Aug 14. Advisories also were lifted for Banks Channel at the public access on the corner of Waynick Boulevard and Sunset Avenue, posted July 23, and at Waynick Boulevard approximately 150 yards north of Lula Street, posted Aug. 14, both in Wrightsville Beach.

Updated 11:15 a.m. Monday, Aug. 26: State recreational water quality officials lifted Monday a precautionary advisory warning the public against swimming near two areas along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Issued Aug. 7, the advisory was for ocean waters at GA Kohler Court in Rodanthe and at Tower Circle in Buxton because of public health risks associated with septic drain fields exposed by extensive erosion caused by Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Ernesto.

Original post 3:30 p.m. Aug. 22:

Precautionary swimming advisories issued earlier this month have been lifted for all but eight locations along the North Carolina coast.

State recreational water quality officials issued the advisories as Tropical Stormy Debby crept up the Atlantic coast on Aug. 7 to warn swimmers that heavy rainfall from the storm might dump polluted stormwater runoff into coastal waterways.

The advisory was lifted Aug. 14 for most oceanside sites.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality announced on Thursday that advisories were lifted for most soundside swimming sites in Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender, Onslow, Carteret, Hyde and Dare counties.

“Test results from water samples taken from these waters show bacterial levels that meet the state’s and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s safe swimming standards,” according to DEQ.

Bacteria levels continue to exceed safe swimming standards at the following locations:

• Caswell Beach Public Beach access off Caswell Beach Road.
• Banks Channel at the public access on the corner of Waynick Boulevard and Sunset Avenue in Wrightsville Beach.
• Banks Channel at Waynick Boulevard approximately 150 yards north of Lula Street in Wrightsville Beach.
• The Railroad Trestle at the Pamlico River in Washington.
• The Sandy Bay soundside access at the Pamlico Sound near Frisco along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
• The Roanoke Sound at the Colington Harbor swim beach at the end of Colington Drive in Kill Devil Hills
• Ocean waters at GA Kohler Court in Rodanthe along Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
• Ocean waters at Tower Circle in Buxton along Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Monitoring will continue at these areas and the public will be notified as conditions meet state and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency safe swimming standards.

More information about the state Recreational Water Quality Program may be found on the program’s website and Twitter feed.