ATLANTA — Several miles of some of Georgia’s beaches are being flagged as having elevated levels of fecal bacteria.
The state has singled out Saint Simons Island, Jekyll Island, and Tybee Island as having elevated levels of enterococci, a fecal bacterium, WSAV-TV reported.
A total of 10 miles across three beaches have been identified as having elevated levels, and they are very popular destinations as the summer heat continues.
“This includes two miles of Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, over two miles of beach on Tybee Island, and over a mile of Saint Simons Island’s South Beach,” WSAV said.
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“Enterococci are bacteria that live in the intestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals, including humans, and therefore indicate possible contamination of surface waters by fecal waste. Sources of fecal indicator bacteria such as enterococci include wastewater treatment plant effluent, leaking septic systems, stormwater runoff, sewage discharged or dumped from recreational boats, domestic animal and wildlife waste, improper land application of manure or sewage, and runoff from manure storage areas, pastures, rangelands, and feedlots,” the Environmental Protection Agency said.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division said it has not been able to identify the sources of the contamination, but it has started setting bacterial limits, known as total maximum daily loads.
The Clean Water Act requires states to identify polluted surface waters every two years.