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Health Advisory Canceled Ocean Inlet Park and Spanish River Beach

By Public Health Communications

June 01, 2018

Palm Beach County, FL—Florida Department of Health Palm Beach County has CANCELED a HEALTH ADVISORY (no swimming) for Ocean Inlet Park, Ocean Ridge and Spanish River Beach, Boca Raton after recent sampling showed bacterial levels in the water to be in the good range.

Causes of the elevated level that prompted the advisory are unknown but the heavy rains and high surf from tropical storm Alberto likely contributed. Generally poor ratings are associated with wildlife, heavy recreational usage, high surf from high winds and high tides or runoff following heavy rains. The DOH-Palm Beach always encourages rinsing with fresh water after swimming in any natural body of water.

Health department staff samples the beach waters at 13 locations from Boca Raton to Jupiter for enterococci as recommended by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the EPA. The samples are laboratory tested for concentrations and a value assigned to indicate poor, moderate or good ranges.


Beach water quality for Palm Beach County and throughout the state can be found at www.flhealthpalmbeach.org and click on “beach water quality”.

*A Poor rating may result in a resampling event to confirm poor conditions; otherwise a Health Advisory will be issued immediately. These indicate that contact with the water at this site may pose increased risk of infectious disease, particularly for susceptible individuals

Beach Action Values (BAV) Enterococcus Results Description

 

Date of Sample 5-29-2018/5-31-2018

Site

Name

City

Enterococci

Water Quality

Status

1

Dubois Park

Jupiter

20

Good

Satisfactory

2

Jupiter Beach Park

Jupiter

       <10

Good

Satisfactory

3

Carlin Park

Jupiter

20

Good

Satisfactory

4

Riviera Beach

Riviera Bch

       <10

Good

Satisfactory

5

Phil Foster

Riviera Bch

10

Good

Satisfactory

7

Palm Beach

Palm Beach

       <10

Good

Satisfactory

8

Lake Worth- Kreusler

Lake Worth

30

Good

Satisfactory

9

Ocean Inlet Park

Ocean Ridge

       170/10

Good

Satisfactory

10

Boynton Beach

Ocean Ridge

<10

Good

Satisfactory

12

Sandoway-Delray Bch

Delray Bch

20

Good

Satisfactory

13

Spanish River

Boca Raton

80/<10

Good

Satisfactory

14

South Inlet Park

Boca Raton

10

Good

Satisfactory

15

Lantana Beach

Lantana

40

Moderate

Satisfactory

United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) recommended criteria for enterococci is:

Good = 0-35 Enterococci per 100 milliliters of marine water,

Moderate = 36-70 Enterococci per 100 milliliters of marine water

Poor = 71 or greater Enterococci per 100 milliliters of marine water