The Outer Banks Voice – Water high quality swimming advisory issued for soundside website in Dare County

By Outer Banks Voice on August 5, 2025

An advisory in opposition to swimming was posted on Tuesday, Aug. 5 at a soundside website in Dare County, the place state leisure water high quality officers discovered micro organism ranges within the water that exceed the state and Environmental Protection Agency’s leisure water high quality requirements.

The advisory is for the soundside swimming space in Colington Harbour, on the finish of Colington Drive in Kill Devil Hills. Test outcomes of water samples point out a operating month-to-month common of 41 enterococci per 100 milliliters of water. This exceeds the state and federal requirements of a operating month-to-month common of 35 enterococci per 100 milliliters, primarily based on 5 samples taken inside a 30-day interval.

A earlier swimming advisory was posted for this website on June 10 and lifted in late July.

Enterococci, the micro organism group used for testing, is discovered within the intestines of warm-blooded animals. While it’s not recognized to trigger sickness, scientific research present that enterococci might point out the presence of different disease-causing organisms. People swimming or enjoying in waters with micro organism ranges increased than the requirements have an elevated threat of growing gastrointestinal sickness or pores and skin infections.

This advisory isn’t a seaside closing, nor does the advisory have an effect on all the Kill Devil Hills space. Swimming advisories are for waters inside 200 ft of the signal.

State officers will proceed testing the location, and they’re going to take away the signal and notify the general public once more when the micro organism ranges lower to ranges beneath the requirements.

Recreational water high quality officers pattern 222 websites all through the coastal area, most of them on a weekly foundation, from April to October. Testing continues on a lowered schedule throughout the remainder of the yr, when fewer persons are within the water.

For extra info on the N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program or to a view a map of testing websites, go to the program’s website, and observe the program’s social media account.