DNREC has issued a recreational swimming advisory for Rehoboth Beach at Rehoboth Avenue based on elevated levels of bacteria found today in a sample taken Wednesday by the Department’s environmental scientists.
Elevated levels of bacteria at Rehoboth Avenue are often associated with heavy rainfall as occurred in the area Wednesday morning. These bacteria originate in the gut of warm-blooded animals, such as wildlife and domestic pets – and indicator bacteria from these sources washes into near-shore waters during periods of heavy rainfall.
DNREC’s Recreational Water Program staff has collected another water sample, with results available Friday afternoon, at which time a decision will be made to lift the current recreational swimming advisory or to extend it. Ocean beach advisories usually can be ended after a day or so, as was the case with the previous Rehoboth advisory issued July 30 and lifted the next day.
The City of Rehoboth Beach has been notified of the recreational advisory, and notice has gone out on DNREC’s Recreational Water advisory notification listserv.
Additional information on recreational swimming advisories and DNREC’s water testing program, and instructions on how to join the advisory notification list, can be found at https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/watershed-stewardship/assessment/recreational-water-monitoring/
The current advisory status for DNREC-monitored beaches and water bodies is at https://recwaters.dnrec.delaware.gov/.
About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. For more information, visit the website and connect with DNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
Media contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov or Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov
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