[Update: The advisory was lifted on Saturday, July 27.]
BRUNSWICK COUNTY — Recreational water quality officials have issued a swimming advisory in Oak Island, asking beachgoers to avoid certain sites.
Signs will indicate that flood water is being pumped near Crowell Street into the ocean, with water that has flooded nearby neighborhoods. It’s important to minimize the flooded streets so emergency crews can pass through as needed.
Recent rains have caused the flooding. The water may contain pollutants, such as waste from wildlife and pets, oil and gasoline from parking lots and waste from septic systems or sewers.
The notice does not mean disease-causing organisms are present in the water; it is meant to caution beachgoers of an increased risk of contamination that can cause adverse health effects.
Signs will be removed 24 hours after the pumping stops. Officials with the state Recreational Water Quality Program sample 221 sites throughout the coastal region, most of them on a weekly basis, from April to October. Testing continues on a reduced schedule during the rest of the year, when the waters are colder.
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