Palm Beach County health officials issued a water quality health advisory for Ocean Inlet Park in Boynton Beach that has tested positive for potentially harmful bacteria.
Tests completed Monday, Aug. 11 indicate the water quality at the park, located at 6990 N. Ocean Blvd. does not meet the recreational water quality criteria for Enterococcus bacteria recommended by the Florida Department of Health.
DOH-Palm Beach advises against any water-related activities at this location because of an increased risk of illness in swimmers. Sampling conducted during regular water quality monitoring showed the level of bacteria exceeds the level established by state guidelines.
Enterococci bacteria are found in the intestines of virtually every animal, but some strains can cause infections in humans such as urinary tract infections, according to the National Institutes of Health. Enterococci bacteria can also cause intra-abdominal infections and meningitis in rare cases.
This advisory will continue until bacteria levels are below the accepted health level. Test results are available at FloridaHealth.gov/HealthyBeaches.
For more information, call 561-671-4014 or visit PalmBeach.FloridaHealth.gov.
James Coleman is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jcoleman@pbpost.com and follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @JimColeman11. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boynton Beach’s Ocean Inlet Park under health advisory for bacteria
Reporting by James Coleman, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
