From the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources

MOREHEAD CITY — State recreational water quality officials today lifted a water quality swimming alert at a sound-side site in Beaufort County.

Subsequent sampling of the site shows that bacteria levels have dropped below the state and Environmental Protection Agency’s standards set for swimming and water play.

The alert affected waters at the Ragged Point swim area in the Pamlico River near Washington.  Water samples taken on July 28, showed the site had exceeded the single-sample maximum standard of 104 enterococci per 100 milliliters of water for a Tier 1 high usage site. Subsequent testing on July 29 showed the bacteria levels have dropped below the state and federal recreational water quality standards.

Coastal recreational waters in North Carolina are generally clean. However, it is important to continue monitoring them, so the public can be informed of any localized problems. The N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program samples 204 sites in coastal waters of the state, most of them on a weekly basis from April through October.

For more information on the N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program, visit its website at: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/recreational-water-quality or on Twitter.com @ncrecprgm.