McFaddin Beach and beaches in Galveston
contaminated with high bacteria levels

By Christine Rappleye
Published July 27, 2006
in the Beaumont Enterprise  
References: KHOU (printed) and (link to video)
                  the Daily News 07/28/06
                  UTMB  07/28/06                 

The wet weather wrecked plans for basking in the sun on the beach Wednesday, and it's also going to put a damper on similar plans for the next couple of days.

Swim advisories are up for McFaddin Beach and beaches in Galveston because of high fecal bacteria levels.

Samples collected Tuesday showed high levels of Enterococcus bacteria, better known as E-coli, at the six sites along McFaddin Beach and 20 spots in Galveston, according to the General Land Office Web site and the Galveston County Health District's Web site.

Contact with water polluted by fecal contaminants can cause illness, most commonly gastroenteritis, according to the Texas General Land Office, which coordinates the Texas Beach Watch program.

More samples will be taken from McFaddin Beach today, and results will be posted Friday, said Ana Christensen, director of the Jefferson County Beach Watch Program.

High levels usually follow heavy rains because of the runoff, Christensen said in the telephone interview.

So far this summer, the counts have been low, she said.

Sites along the Texas Gulf coast are tested weekly during the summer for the bacteria.

For More Information Contact:
Kurt Koopmann
Public Information Officer
Galveston County Health District
409-938-2211 or 409-392-0007
kkoopman@gchd.org