UPDATE: Beach advisory remains in effect through weekend
An advisory is staying in place for Cove Road Beach throughout the weekend, as health officials report bacteria levels remained elevated as of Friday afternoon.
Allison Marine, Food Protection and Community Services supervisor for the Wicomico County Health Department, says enterococci levels need to be at 104 or less in order for the advisory to be lifted.
According to Marine, that organism indicates fecal contaminants possibly in the water.
A few health risks of being exposed to the bacteria include infections, skin rashes and diarrhea.
She says the water at Cove Road Beach is relatively shallow, so it’s not uncommon to be placed under advisory.
“It gets very warm which causes the bacteria to grow a lot faster and also after rain events, such as the thunderstorm and stuff we’ve had lately, the run off from the local farm fields also causes more nitrogen and phosphorus to go into the waterways which causes bacteria to feed off that grow,” she explains.
Because of the health risks, Marine says they don’t want people to accidentally ingest the water.
The health department recommends people to avoid beach water if they have an open wound or infection. If they do go in, they’re urged to swim without putting their heads under water.
Gabrielle Foor, a Salisbury resident, says she and her family try to visit Cove Road Beach at least three or four times every summer. When we spoke to her on Friday, she said the advisory didn’t bother her.
“We love coming to this beach, we’ve always gone to this beach because it’s small and very private,” says Foor.
Marine says there are ways beach-goers can help reduce bacteria levels.
“If you do take children there, if they are wearing diapers, clean up and take your trash with you,” she says. “If you have pets there at the beach with you, clean up after them especially if they use the bathroom on the beach.”
According to the Department of Environmental Health officials, officials will take another sample Monday.
Because results generally take about 24 hours, the earliest the advisory would be lifted is Tuesday.
