United States: Along the coastlines of several beaches in Los Angeles County, there has been a contamination of the water with elevated levels of bacteria, though no official closures of the beaches have been enacted.
The Department of Health for LA County has issued advisories for 12 areas due to the detection of heightened levels of hazardous bacteria in the water. “These advisories are a result of bacterial concentrations surpassing health benchmarks during the latest examination,” stated the health department, according to Newsweek.
Residents and tourists in California are strongly advised against swimming or engaging in water-related activities in these areas until clearance is granted by the department.
While the health department has not disclosed specific reasons for the advisories, cautions against swimming are frequently issued in coastal regions across the United States due to elevated levels of the enterococcus bacteria.
Newsweek reached out to the LA County Health Department for a statement via email outside of regular business hours.
The beaches in LA County under advisories include:
1. Castlerock Storm Drain at Topanga County Beach
2. Inner Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro
3. Las Flores Creek at Las Flores State Beach
4. Latigo Shore Drive in Malibu
5. Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu
6. Malibu Lagoon at Surfrider Beach
7. Malibu Pier in Malibu
8. Marie Canyon Storm Drain at Puerco Beach
9. Puerco Canyon Storm Drain at Puerco Beach
10. Santa Monica Canyon Creek at Will Rogers State Beach
11. Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica
12. Sweetwater Canyon Storm Drain at Carbon Canyon Beach
That said, no beach closures are in force now; community members and visiting tourists are requested to refrain from entering the water until advisories are removed. Policies such as those will be elaborated upon, with clarity concerning the extent of the restricted areas and precise locations, on the LA County Department of Public Health website.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gives the definition of enterococci as the bacteria that colonize the intestinal tracks of the warm-blooded animals, just like human beings and sometimes of birds. Sewage does not have to be the only concern- Enterococci indicate that sewage has entered water ways.
The sources can be contaminated in various ways mentioned below; for instance, effluent from wastewater treatment plants, leaks between septic tank systems, storm runoff from recreational vessels due to discharge or dumping of wastewater, and waste from domestic animals and wild animals.
People that caught this enterococci could suffer from a wide range of ailments, including some of them being serious. Humane conditions resulting from the spreading of enterococci include urinary tract infections, bacteremia, wound infections, and infective endocarditis.
Toxin-producing Klebsiella strains can be reasons for conditions like meningitis and intra-abdominal infections, which are more severe conditions to start with. The American National Institutes of Health has reported that some antidote-resistant genes are, by nature some enterococci strains.
A similar thing to that in the Waterworks of Los Angeles, the area in Florida is undergoing advisories due to the enterococci contamination, as stated by Newsweek recently.