Jefferson County Public Health officials removed the health warning at Marrowstone Island’s East Beach on June 21 after a new round of water testing on June 20 showed drastically reduced numbers of fecal bacteria.

The health department had issued a health advisory regarding high levels of fecal bacteria in the water off East Beach on June 18. Fecal bacteria levels in the marine water at East Beach County Park in Nordland have returned to normal said Mike Dawson, water quality manager for the health department.

Samples collected at the beach on June 20, were analyzed for enterococcus bacteria, which in water indicates the presence of human or animal feces. The results showed an average of less than 10 enterococci per 100 milliliters of water. The warning, issued Tuesday, June 18 was triggered by bacteria levels greater than 500, which was well above the warning level of 104, Dawson said.

Health department staff have since removed the warning sign from the park.

Dawson said the presence of such high levels of fecal bacteria was initially surprising to county staff.

“The beach, by all appearances, looked fine,” Dawson said. “There were no problems with sewage, no issues with the Porta Potty. Bacteria levels fluctuate regularly. They go up and down. The other beaches we were testing were low for bacteria.”

Dawson said that given East Beach’s rural, relatively remote location, it was surprising to see elevated bacteria levels. Further, the beach experiences a huge daily tidal exchange, which makes it a less likely candidate than other local beaches for elevated levels of fecal bacteria.

After interviewing staff on the second round of testing, Dawson said they reported noticing large numbers of waterfowl in the area, leading him to think the possible cause was wildlife. Dawson also ruled out the likelihood of a large ship discharging sewage, explaining that environmental regulations prohibit ships dumping sewage. And second, he said, the beach is far from the shipping lane, making it an unlikely landing place for ship sewage.

“It’s good to realize that all places can have some risks,” Dawson explained. “Any warm-blooded animal could be the source. It could be wildlife, it could be pet waste, it could be agriculture. It could also be septic systems if they aren’t functioning properly.”

Contact with fecal contaminated waters can result in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses. Children and the elderly may be more vulnerable to waterborne illnesses. When county officials post a fecal bacteria warning, the public is urged not to swim or wade and to avoid contact with the water. Health officials recommend the same for pets.

Jefferson County Public Health officials monitor local saltwater swimming beaches weekly from Memorial Day through Labor Day as part of the Washington Beach Environmental Assessment Communication & Health (BEACH) program. The BEACH Program is a joint program of the Washington departments of health and ecology that monitors water quality at recreational swimming beaches throughout Puget Sound and coastal Washington.

Jefferson County staff and other local organizations collect water samples at public swimming beaches in Jefferson County and submit them to the state lab for testing. The most recent results are posted on the BEACH website. Beaches are tested on Mondays in Jefferson County. The results are usually posted by Wednesday.

In 2024, Jefferson County Public Health officials are also monitoring fecal bacteria at the Herb Beck Marina Beach on Linger Longer Road in Quilcene and at Fort Worden State Park, with help from the Port Townsend Marine Science Center.

Bacteria levels can fluctuate widely, and the public is advised to look for the “weekly averages” when searching the website for results.

As of June 21, East Beach was not showing up on the BEACH website map. Dawson said Department of Ecology staff are working to fix the problem. Local beach water quality results can be found by clicking the “Beach data” link on the above referenced webpage. Dawson said citizens can also call the county health department for beach closure information.

County health department staff work hard to maintain the appropriate signage on beaches that have been tagged with water quality issues, Dawson said. A yellow sign means “warning” and a red sign means stay off the beach and out of the water.