The health departments in Chatham and Glynn Counties have issued water quality advisories for beach locations on Tybee, St. Simons, and Jekyll Islands.
The advisory locations are:
Tybee Island
From Lovell Street to Inlet Avenue, which includes:
- Middle Beach at Center Terrace
- Strand Beach at the Pier
- South Beach at Chatham Street
St. Simons Island
- North Beach at Goulds Inlet (Fifteenth Street to Tenth Street)
- South Beach at the Lighthouse (Ninth Street to the Pier)
Jekyll Island
- Driftwood Beach (Beach KM Marker 1 to Tallu Fish Lane)
- South Dunes Picnic Area Beach (Corsair Beach Park to South Water Tower)
These advisories are only for the areas specified above and do not impact the other beach areas on these islands. There is no way of knowing if going into water that is under advisory will result in illness. However, these beach water advisories are to alert the public of a possible risk of illness associated with water contact. An area under advisory does not mean the beach is closed.
Water samples are collected weekly on these islands, and tested for enterococcus (pronounced: en·ter·o·coc·cus) bacteria which is found in warm blooded animals including humans but also birds, raccoons, deer, dolphins and other wildlife. It is difficult to determine exactly where the bacteria come from, but some sources could include animal waste, storm water runoff, or boating waste. When a beach is under advisory, it means that the level of bacteria found in the water is above the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended standards.
The Health Department recommends you do not swim or wade in the water in the area under advisory. Fish and other seafood caught from this area should be thoroughly washed with fresh water and thoroughly cooked before eating, as should fish or seafood caught from any waters.
The areas will be re-tested, and the advisories will be lifted when tests show the bacteria levels meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended standards.
For more information, visit our Beach Water Testing Program page.
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