NO SWIMMING ADVISORY POSTED—PALM BEACH 

Palm Beach, FL—Florida Department of Health Palm Beach County has issued a “No Swimming Advisory” for Palm Beach after bacterial levels in the water tested in the poor range.  

The area affected is the public accessible ocean beach around the flag pole. . The latest testing showed over 200 colonies per 100 milliliters of marine water for enterococci placing it in the poor range.

Other beaches north and south of this location tested in the good range.  Resampling is being conducted and results affecting the advisory should be available later this week.  Causes of the elevated level are unknown at this time but higher than normal waves and surf from the easterly winds likely carried the concentrations of bacteria closer to the shores. 

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.

The advisory will continue until samples collected are in the good range. 

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

Enterococcus Results Description

GOOD 0-35 Enterococcus sp per 100 ml of marine water 0-35 CFU/100 mL Enterococcus sp Geometric Mean

MODERATE 36-104 Enterococcus sp per 100 ml of marine water

POOR* 105 or greater Enterococcus sp per 100 ml of marine water 36 and over CFU/100 mL Enterococcus sp Geometric Mean

  *A Poor rating may result in a resampling event to confirm poor conditions, otherwise a Health Advisory or Warning 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.