Advisories issued for Illahee and Pomeroy swimming beaches

Kitsap County Washington sent this bulletin at 05/28/2021 02:22 PM PDT

May 28, 2021

KITSAP COUNTY, WA

Advisories issued for Illahee State Park and Pomeroy Park swimming beaches due to high bacteria levels

The public is advised to avoid all contact with the water at these beaches until further notice.

Kitsap Public Health District issued no-contact advisories May 28 for the Illahee State Park swimming beach in Bremerton and the Pomeroy Park swimming beach in Manchester due to high levels of Enterococci bacteria in the water.

High Enterococci levels mean there is increased risk of people getting sick, so the public is advised to avoid all contact with the water at the swimming beaches until further notice. Warning signs have been posted at the beaches.

The health district recommends against swimming, wading, or any other activities at the beaches that could allow water to be swallowed or get into the mouth, nose or eyes. People should avoid direct skin contact if possible and immediately wash with soap and water if they have exposure to the water.

The health district will continue to monitor for Enterococci at both beaches and will lift the advisory when there is no longer an increased risk to the public. The next planned beach sampling date is Tuesday, June 1.

No illnesses related to either beach have been reported to the health district at this time.

Updates will be posted to kitsappublichealth.org/beaches, distributed via our email listserv, and posted on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts.

The advisory level for Enterococci is an arithmetic mean value of 104 MPN per 100 milliliters. For samples taken May 24 at the Illahee State Park swimming beach, the mean was 130 MPN per 100 milliliters. For samples taken at Pomeroy Park, the mean was 175 MPN per 100 milliliters.

MPN per 100 milliliters is a unit of measure and stands for the "most probable number" of bacteria colonies that grow in a 100 milliliter sample.

SWIMMING BEACH MONITORING:

During the summer months, the Kitsap Public Health District monitors 34 fresh and salt water swimming areas for bacteria levels and sources, safety concerns, and toxic cyanobacteria (commonly known as toxic blue-green algae).

If people or pets become sick after being in the water, or if you see an algae bloom or large numbers of dead fish, please report it online or by calling 360-728-2235 so the health district can investigate and take action, if necessary.

RESOURCES:

CONTACT: pio@kitsappublichealth.org

The Kitsap County Joint Information Center, as part of the Kitsap County Emergency Operations Center (KCEOC), provides accurate and up-to-date information about the local response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization's goal is to reduce the impacts of the pandemic in Kitsap and to safeguard the local healthcare system, government infrastructure, and economy, as well as to prepare for recovery.

The KCEOC operates under the leadership of a unified command, composed of representatives of Kitsap Public Health District, Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management, Law Enforcement, Kitsap County Department of Human Services, and Kitsap County Administration.

Kitsap County
Emergency Operations Center
http://www.Kitsapgov.com

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