Swimming advisory issued for site in OBX

KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. (WNCN) — Days after a precautionary swimming advisory was issued for a stretch of ocean-side water in Dare County, a swimming advisory was issued for a different part of the Outer Banks county.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality said the advisory against swimming is for a sound-side site in Colington Harbour, which is at the end of Colington Drive in Kill Devil Hills.

The advisory is in place due to the discovery of “bacteria levels in the water that exceed the state’s and Environmental Protection Agency’s recreational water quality standards,” according to a news release.

The state agency measures the amount of enterococci, which can be a sign that other “disease-causing organisms” may also be present in the tested waters.

“People swimming or playing in waters with bacteria levels higher than the standards have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal illness or skin infections,” the NCDEQ said in the release.

The advisory is only for the waters within 200 feet of the site and does not affect all of Kill Devil Hills or any ocean-side sites. It will be lifted once testing shows bacteria levels have decreased to below the standards, the NCDEQ said.

The state tests over 200 coastal sites on a weekly basis from April to October and less frequently throughout the rest of the year. The full list of sites as well as current advisories can be found on the department’s website.