Dewey Beach swimming advisory lifted
The swimming advisory issued for the beaches at Swedes Street and Dagsworthy Avenue in Dewey Beach has been lifted.
On June 6, state officials warned that elevated levels of bacteria found at those sampling sites indicated the water may not have been safe for swimming.
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control officials issued a recreational water advisory alert, citing recent rainfall and runoff as the reason for elevated indicator bacteria counts.
Droppings left by shorebirds visiting the Delaware Bay coast to feast on horseshoe crab eggs contain the same fecal-indicator bacteria, enterococcus bacteria, used to test recreational water quality. The indicator bacteria used for swimming water quality signal the presence of potentially harmful bacteria and viruses, found in the gut of shorebirds, mammals and people, that can cause digestive illness in people with immunodeficiencies or those who ingest too much bacteria.
“Elevated indicator bacteria levels are often a result of wildlife scat or domestic pet waste that washes into the water after heavy rain, or from shorebirds and marine mammals,” the advisory stated.
For more information, go to http://apps.dnrec.state.de.us/RecWater.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
