COLUMBIA, S.C.(WBTW) – The SC Department of Health and Environmental Control put part of the Grand Strand under a swimming advisory.
“The affected area includes 200 feet above and below the street end of 16th Avenue North in North Myrtle Beach,” said Sean Torrens of DHEC’s Pee Dee Environmental Quality Control office in Myrtle Beach. “High bacteria levels have been detected in this section of beach, and swimming is not advised until bacteria levels return to normal.”
According to Torrens, it is safe to wade, collect shells and fish within the swimming advisory area.
“To guard against the possibility of swallowing the water, it’s best to keep your head up and out of the water,” Torrens said. “People with open cuts or other wounds should also avoid contact with the water.”
DHEC provides temporary signs to local governments. Then the municipality decides when to put them at beaches with high levels of bacteria in the water, where there is not already a long-term sign.
For more information about beach water quality in the Myrtle Beach area, call DHEC’s Pee Dee EQC office in Myrtle Beach at (843)238-4378 or visit http://gis.dhec.sc.gov/beachaccess/ to view recent water sampling results along the coast.
