The St. Clair County Health Department has issued a swimming advisory for Port Huron’s Holland Beach after detecting elevated E. coli levels.
The advisory was issued Thursday, Aug. 21 and warns swimmers to avoid the water until the department confirms E. coli levels have returned to normal.
E. coli, a microbe that develops in the digestive system of warm-blooded animals, can be found at increased levels at beaches after rainfall or strong winds wash animal waste into the water.
The St. Clair County Health Department tests beaches daily to determine if the water is safe and will release an update once it determines Holland Beach’s E.coli levels have returned to normal. Swimming in water with elevated E. coli levels can lead to infection, skin irritation or gastrointestinal illness.
Information on closed beaches in St. Clair County is available online on the St. Clair County Beaches Facebook page and EGLE’s Beachguard website. Anyone with questions can contact the health department’s Environmental Health Division at (810) 987-5306.
Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Swimming advisory issued for Holland Beach
Reporting by Johnathan Hogan, Port Huron Times Herald / Port Huron Times Herald
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