The Glynn County Health Department has lifted the advisories for North Beach at Goulds Inlet (Fifteenth Street to Tenth Street) and South Beach at the Lighthouse (Ninth Street to the Pier) on St. Simons Island and Driftwood Beach (Beach KM
Marker 1 to Tallu Fish Lane) and South Dunes Picnic Area Beach (Corsair Beach Park to South Water Tower) on Jekyll Island.
The advisories were issued on December 31, 2019 after routine water quality tests showed a high level of enterococci bacteria which increase the risk of gastrointestinal illness in swimmers.
Subsequent water samples taken showed that the bacteria levels had dropped below Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended limits. Therefore, the advisories have been lifted.
The testing is part of an ongoing water monitoring program through the Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division. Water samples are screened every week for bacteria found in humans and some wildlife. This testing program is not related to the capsized cargo carrier in St. Simons Sound.
