Baton Rouge, La.— DHH’s Office of Public Health BEACH Monitoring program will now sample and test waters from two additional beaches: North Beach in Lake Charles and South Beach, known locally as the I-210 Beach, in Calcasieu Parish.
The BEACH program tests coastal water samples weekly between April and October to monitor bacteria levels at 28 coastal locations.
If high bacteria counts are detected, LDH will issue a swim advisory warning beachgoers not to swim until bacteria levels are again safe.
An advisory is NOT a closure of the beach or its facilities, but an alert to the public about possible unhealthy water conditions. All areas will remain open for boating, fishing and land-based activities.
In addition to the swim advisory, LDH will send an advisory to the media, listing the beaches with high levels. Local governments are responsible for displaying and maintaining swim advisory signs near the shoreline. These signs are permanent signs that flip open to reveal the swim advisory and close to signify that that advisory has been lifted.
The Louisiana BEACH Monitoring Program is a partnership between the Department of Health and Hospitals; the Department of Environmental Quality; the Louisiana Office of State Parks; the Cameron, Lafourche and Calcasieu Parish Police Juries; the Town of Grand Isle; the City of Lake Charles; and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information on the program or to check the status of monitoring at the different locations, please visit www.ophbeachmonitoring.com.
-end-