Swimming Advisory Lifted For Part Of Miami Beach

MIAMI BEACH, FL — A swimming advisory was lifted on Thursday afternoon for the 53 Street beach. The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County issued the advisory on Wednesday based on water samples taken at 53 Street off Collins Avenue. It was lifted when a subsequent test met health requirements for enterococci.

"Based on a satisfactory microbial water quality test result, the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County is lifting the swimming advisory that was issued on Aug. 23, 2017 for the beach site at 53 Street in Miami Beach," health officials said in lifting the advisory. (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Beach Patch.)

The advisory was lifted just a little more than a week before the all-important Labor Day holiday when beaches tend to be crowded.

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Miami Beach officials emphasized that the city's stormwater pumps had not been pushing waste into the ocean as some residents may have speculated.

"There is no cause as to why these samples are high, but many possibilities exist such as heavy rainfall, changes in temperature, water currents, weather patterns, etc.," Miami Beach officials said in response to the initial advisory. "Our pumps are actually designed to effectively move stormwater from east to west, and have no outfalls leading to the ocean."

Health officials said advisories are issued when two consecutive water samples exceed the federal and state recommended standard for enterococci, which is greater than 70 colony forming units of enterococci per 100ml in a single sample.

A similar advisory was issued for the North Shore area on Aug. 9. That advisory was also subsequently lifted.

The department of health's Samir Elmir told Patch after the last advisory that it's important to understand each test only represents a snapshot of water quality from one particular moment in time. That's one reason why advisories don't forbid swimming.

"We sample the beaches once a week," he said earlier this month. "We don’t have a constant monitoring every second, every minute." Elmir added that people naturally carry bacteria on their skin even if they haven't been in the ocean, which is why health officials also recommend showering before entering public swimming pools.

The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County has been sampling marine beach water quality at 16 sites weekly since August 2002, through the Florida Healthy Beaches Program. The sampling sites are selected based on the frequency and intensity of recreational water use and the proximity to pollution sources.

Water samples are analyzed for enteric bacteria enterococci that normally inhabit the intestinal track of humans and animals. Exposure may cause human disease, infections, or illness. The prevalence of enteric bacteria is an indicator of fecal pollution, which may come from storm water run-off, wildlife, pets and human sewage, health officials said.

For more information, visit the Florida Healthy Beaches Program website and Select “Beach Water Quality” from environmental health topics.

Photo of beach goers courtesy of Miami Beach Fire Department