Swimming Advisories Issued For 6 Miami-Dade Beaches

KEY BISCAYNE, FL — The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County issued swimming advisories Thursday for six Miami-Dade beaches. All of the beaches are around the Key Biscayne area.

"Samples of beach water quality collected at Crandon North, Crandon South, Virginia Key Beach, Cape Florida and Dog Beach along Rickenbacker Causeway beach sites did not meet the federal and state recommended recreational water quality standard for enterococci," according to health officials.

"By state regulation, the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County is required to issue an advisory to inform the public in a specific area when this standard is not met."

The sixth site, Key Biscayne (Beach Club), met the standard, but just barely.

"While beach water quality for the Key Biscayne beach site (Beach Club) did not exceed the standard for enterococci, it was close to exceeded," health officials said.

The advisory comes days after the beaches were threatened by Hurricane Dorian over the three-day Labor Day weekend.

The federal and state recommended standard for enterococci is greater than 70 colony forming units of enterococci per 100 ml in a single sample.

The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County has been sampling marine beach water quality at 17 sites weekly since August 2002, through the Florida Healthy Beaches Program. The sampling sites are selected based on the frequency and intensity of recreational water use and the proximity to pollution sources.

Water samples are analyzed for enteric bacteria enterococci that normally inhabit the intestinal track of humans and animals. Exposure may cause human disease, infections, or illness. The prevalence of enteric bacteria is an indicator of fecal pollution, which may come from storm water run-off, wildlife, pets and human sewage, health officials said.

For more information, visit the Florida Healthy Beaches Program website and Select “Beach Water Quality” from environmental health topics.