Swimming not advised at one South Florida beach after samples show high poop levels
If your pooch loves the water, you may want to skip the Dog Beach on Rickenbacker Causeway this weekend.
The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County on Friday issued a swimming advisory for the beach after water samples showed high levels of fecal matter.
As part of the Florida Healthy Beaches Program, the health department regularly checks water samples at different beaches for enteric bacteria enterococci, which inhabit the intestinal track of humans and animals.
Swimming in water with high levels of the bacteria can cause “increased risk of illness, particularly for susceptible individuals,” health officials say.
It’s not clear what led to the high levels at the Dog Beach, but the increase in bacteria can be caused by storm water runoff, wildlife, pets and human sewage, the health department said.
In December, the Department of Health in Broward County issued a no-swim advisory for the beach across the street from Birch State Park in Fort Lauderdale because of high bacteria levels.
Five popular Miami-Dade beaches were put on no-swim advisories in October, because of elevated bacteria levels.
For more information visit http://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/beach-water-quality/index.html.
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 5:56 PM.
