The Alabama Department of Health has issued swimming advisories for two Baldwin County beaches:

• Camp Beckwith at Weeks Bay
• Pirates Cove at Arnica Bay 

Health officials are urging families not to swim in the water in these locations after two recent water quality tests indicated an increased risk of bacteria in the water. 

The health department will continue to monitor the water and lift the advisories once the bacteria values fall below the Environmental Protection Agency’s threshold of 104 enterococcus organisms per 100 milliliters for marine water.

The ADPH and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) operate the bacteriological water quality monitoring and notification program under a grant from the EPA’s BEACH Act Program. This program involves the routine collection of water samples from twenty-five (25) high-use coastal recreational sites.

These samples are analyzed for enterococci bacteria. High counts indicate that the possibility that other disease causing germs could be present in the water. 

For more information about the advisory status, visit ADEM’s website at https://adem.alabama.gov/programs/coastal/beachMonitoring.cnt.