Public Swimming Advisory Issued For Dauphin Island and Dog River

Jun 3rd, 2004

The Mobile County Health Department advises the public that two recent successive tests of swimming water quality at the site of Dauphin Island East End and Dog River at the Alba Club were poor. Swimming in these areas might lead to an increased risk of illness. Monitoring will continue and the advisory will be lifted once bacteria values fall below the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) threshold of 104 enterococcus organisms per 100 milliliters for marine water.

According to Bill Smith, Director of the Alabama Department of Public Health Mobile Laboratory, a sample taken June 1, 2004 at Dauphin Island East End and Dog River at the Alba Club had an enterococci count of 200 per 100 milliliters. Both sites were retested on June 2, 2004 and the enterococci count for Dauphin Island was 120 per 100 milliliters and the enterococci count for Dog River was 113 per 100 milliliters. These sites will continue to be retested.

The Alabama Department of Public Health and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) operate the bacteriological water quality monitoring and notification program under grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s BEACH Act Program. This program involves the routine collection of water samples from a total of twenty-five (25) high-use coastal recreational sites in Mobile and Baldwin counties. In the summer months, samples are taken once or twice a week at the most highly used sites and biweekly at the other sites. All sites are tested once a month in the cooler months.

Samples are analyzed for enterococci bacteria. High counts indicate that the possibility that other disease causing germs could be present in the water. Based on EPA’s “Criteria for Bathing (full body contact) Recreational Waters,” samples are checked for enterococcus bacteria. These indicator bacteria are inhabitants of the intestines of humans and other warm-blooded animals.

Bacterial concentrations in recreational waters can increase during and immediately following rainstorms due to overflowing sewage collection and treatment facilities, storm water runoff and malfunctioning septic systems.

When monitoring results exceed the EPA standard, the affected site is immediately retested. If the results of the second test identify enterococci levels persisting above the EPA standard, the health department through the cooperative efforts of the news media issues a public advisory. This advisory states there may be an increased risk of illness associated with swimming at the affected site.

Additional information is available on the EPA’s website entitled "Beach Watch" at http://www.epa.gov/ost/beaches. For more information about the advisory status, visit ADEM’s website at www.adem.state.al.us. Click on monitoring at the top and then click on Coastal Alabama Beach Monitoring.