Water quality advisory lifted for Lynn Hall Memorial Park
The Florida Department of Health in Lee County lifted a water quality advisory at Lynn Hall Memorial Park on Tuesday, six days after tests at the park indicated bacteria levels do not meet health department standards for recreational water activity.
The department issued a water quality advisory on Jan. 8 advising the public to refrain from water-related activities at the park due to increased risk of illness to swimmers.
A new round of tests on water quality at the park on Jan. 12 indicated that bacteria levels were at acceptable levels for swimming, the Florida Department of Health in Lee County said in a statement last week, a day after the tests were conducted.
According to the Florida Department of Health in Lee County, water quality samples were also taken the previous week on Fort Myers Beach at Newton Park and Bowditch Point Regional Park which did not result in a water quality advisory. Subsequent tests were taken at Newton Park and Bowditch Point Regional Park last week, which the department said passed for acceptable water quality.
The sample that resulted in the water quality advisory for Lynn Hall Memorial Park was collected Jan, 7 resulting in 87 per 100 milliliters of enterococci for marine water sampled. Poor water quality ranges are 71 or greater enterococci per 100 milliliters of marine water, according to a statement from the Florida Department of Health in Lee County in response to questions from the Fort Myers Beach Observer.
The department samples and monitors public beaches weekly for enterococci bacteria. Lynn Hall Memorial Park was the only location in Lee County that resulted in a water quality advisory during the testing earlier this month.
The last time a water quality advisory was issued for Fort Myers Beach was last September for Bowditch Point Regional Park.
That advisory was lifted a week later.
Both Bowditch Point Regional Point Park and Lynn Hall Memorial Park are operated by Lee County. The county referred questions to the Florida Department of Health in Lee County.
The department, in a statement, said test results can be found on the department’s website though a link to the results were not working as of Tuesday.
The broken link the Florida Department of Health was advising the public to check can be found at: https://www.floridahealth.gov/community-environmental-public-health/environmental-public-health/water-quality/aquatic-toxins/beach-water-quality/.
Dale Griffin, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health, said in an email last week in response to questions about the website that “Our webpages transitioned to a new platform last week. We are aware of the issues with our Healthy Beaches website and are working on the needed corrections. It should be back up and running soon.”