4 swimming advisories lifted, 2 remain

PANAMA CITY — Public health officials rescinded swimming advisories at four area beaches Tuesday, but left two others in place.

Last week, the Florida Department of Health in Bay County’s Healthy Beaches Monitoring Program issued the swimming advisories for beaches at six locations: Carl Gray Park, the city pier in Panama City Beach, Spy Glass Drive, the Dupont Bridge, Beach Drive in Panama City and Delwood Beach in Panama City Beach.

The advisories were issued after the monitors tested samples of the water at each location and found unacceptably high levels of enteric bacteria, which comes from human or animal waste and can cause diseases, infections and rashes in humans.

After retesting the water in those areas this week, DOH officials lifted the advisories at Spy Glass Drive, the Dupont Bridge, Beach Drive and Delwood Beach, but the advisories at the city pier and Carl Gray Park remain in effect.

The advisories do not close the water to swimmers. The DOH did not indicate whether any humans have become ill due to exposure to contaminated water.

The contamination is expected after heavy rains, which often cause bacteria levels to spike, an official told The News Herald when the six advisories were announced last week.

The Health Beaches Monitoring Programs collects and tests samples from 10 locations in Bay County twice each month between March and October.

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