NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Three beaches in Newport News aren't safe for swimmers on Wednesday.
The Peninsula Health District does regular water testing, and said the bacteria levels were too high at Hilton Park Beach, Huntington Park Beach and King-Lincoln Park Beach on Sept. 14.
By 13News Now's count, this is Hilton Park Beach's 8th swimming alert of the season.
These advisories were put in place based on water testing that happened on Tuesday.
It takes about a day to get results from a water sample. The health department collected another sample from each of the beaches on Wednesday, but it won't be clear whether the enterococci levels have gone back down until tomorrow.
Enterococci are organisms that signal the amount of fecal contamination in recreational waters. They're not what make you sick, but they're a warning sign for the presence of bacteria that could cause health problems.
“We encourage the public to protect their health by complying with this advisory,” wrote Mary Wainwright, Environmental Health Manager of the Hampton and Peninsula Health Districts. “Typically, an advisory of this nature is temporary and will be withdrawn once the bacteria levels have returned to a safe level.”
