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Second swimming advisory of 2006 posted at King George site; follow up test today will determine whether it's safe to swim over big holiday weekend. Date published: 6/29/2006
By RUSTY DENNEN The second swimming advisory of the season has been posted at Fairview Beach, and it will be tomorrow afternoon before follow-up water tests determine whether people can go in the water over the holiday weekend. Bacteria levels spiked in the Potomac River along the popular King George County shore in Monday's weekly water sample. Test results came back yesterday and the signs went up warning against swimming. Under state health guidelines, levels of 104 or more enterococcus bacteria on lab culture dishes trigger a swimming advisory. Monday's tests at the four Fairview Beach sampling sites showed a level of 1,260 when the four sample sites were averaged. That's more than 12 times the allowable limit. Higher-than-allowed bacterial readings are common at Fairview Beach following heavy rain. Bacteria are a concern because excessive amounts can cause gastrointestinal problems, especially in the young, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. No water-borne illnesses have been reported due to the contamination. Michele Monti, program director of the Division of Zoonotic and Environmental Epidemiology for the Virginia Department of Health in Richmond, said yesterday that the recent rains probably caused the spike. There was so much rain, she said, that follow-up tests were pushed back a day. "Normally we would go out the next day. But because of the amount of water coming down the Potomac, we decided to wait a day," she said. "I'm fairly certain that the bacterial level is still high." Some wastewater treatment plants in the Washington, D.C. area were flooded and released raw sewage into the river because of the flooding, but it's unknown whether any of that might appear in upcoming water samples downriver. A day of sunshine, which will cut the amount of runoff from the shore, combined with the bacteria-killing effect of the sun's ultraviolet radiation, Monti said, might bring levels down dramatically. "My thoughts are that, if we give it a day, especially if there's no more rain, a sample would be in compliance and we could lift the swimming advisory." The sample will be taken around 2 this afternoon and sent to the state laboratory. Results take about 24 hours, so no determination can be made until tomorrow afternoon.
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