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Fay Prompts Warning To Avoid Ocean

Water Testing Starts Monday At 9 Beach Sites

POSTED: Saturday, August 23, 2008
UPDATED: 11:48 am EDT August 23, 2008

State and local health department officials are advising people to avoid swimming along Brevard's 72-mile coastline because of possible contamination or injury from debris spurred by Tropical Storm Fay.


IMAGES: Top Viewer Flood Photos Top Images
IMAGES: Fay Floods Hospital; Diverts Patients
IMAGES: Canoes - Airboats Used To Flee Floods

"There is a possibility of contamination, so we just want to make the public aware. It's just a precautionary method, and we'll get samples just in case," said Brevard County Health Department Water Environmental Supervisor Cynthia Leckey.

The department issued the health advisory Thursday urging people to keep clear of the beaches until the water gets tested, Local 6 News partner Florida Today reported..

Officials will begin testing for bacteria and fecal matter on Monday at nine beachside locations in the county, Leckey said.

The department can't begin testing beachside until then because labs are busy testing the quality of drinking water. The department will have help from a team of state environmental health workers, who will also be assisting with any mold and mosquito issues.

But beachgoers and tourists didn't seem too concerned about the water warnings Friday.

Kathryn Gruver of Hamilton, Ohio, was playing in the ocean of Cocoa Beach Pier on Friday morning with her husband and three sons. The family left from the Port on Friday night on a cruise to the Bahamas.

The Gruvers said they wouldn't let Fay get in the way and had no worries about swimming in the ocean.

"There's no way I was going to let the water ruin my vacation," Gruver said.

Lifeguards along Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach said their main concern was keeping people out of the rip currents. They did however, plan to set up lifeguard stands and will be staffing them this morning.

Overflow from beachside flooding and sewage backup is more likely to flow to the Indian River Lagoon rather than the beaches, officials said.

Still, areas where lagoon water is mixing with ocean water, such as Sebastian Inlet and Port Canaveral, are cause for concern. Lagoon waters are washing into the ocean there because the locks are being kept open to alleviate flooding, Leckey said.

Results from Monday's water tests will be posted online Wednesday and can be viewed at www.Floridashealth.com/beachwater. The test results are labeled as good, moderate or bad based on the amount of pollutants. If results are bad, officials would take the next step, which is posting signs warning people not to swim.

"For the most part, our beaches are always 'good.' Every once in a while, we get a small hit, just enough where it goes up to a moderate level," Leckey said.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

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