State recreational water quality officials today lifted a precautionary swimming advisory in Oak Island. The advisory was lifted because floodwaters have rescinded, and pumping has ceased.
The precautionary advisory was posted on Oct. 12 and included oceanfront areas near Southeast 79th Street and Crowell Street in Oak Island. At the time, floodwaters were being pumped from flooded streets onto the beach to ensure roads were accessible for emergency vehicles. Floodwaters contain pollutants such as waste from wildlife and pets, oil and gasoline from parking lots and waste from septic systems or sewers.
The N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program samples 210 sites in coastal waters of the state, most of them on a weekly basis from April through October.
For more information on the N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program, visit the program’s website, view a map of the testing sites, and follow the program’s Twitter feed.