Health officials are warning swimmers to stay out of the water at two popular spots along the Bogue Sound in Carteret County.
The state Department of Environmental Quality has posted swim advisories for the public beach access points at Sunset Drive and Sixteenth Street. Test results show that bacteria levels at both locations currently exceed safe state water quality standards. Officials say swimming in the water right now carries an elevated risk of skin infections and gastrointestinal illness for both people and pets.
The state is not closing the entire beach, but signs are being posted within two hundred feet of the contaminated areas. Water testing will continue daily, and the warning signs will come down as soon as bacteria levels return to a safe range.
