Galveston County Health District statement on beach water safety

GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas – Galveston County Health District contracts with the General Land Office to test 52 sites in Galveston County – 36 on Galveston Island, 16 on Bolivar Peninsula and one on the Texas City Dike – through its Texas Beach Watch program, testing for Enterococcus.

An advisory is issued for that testing location when a sample comes back with a high level of Enterococcus. That site is tested daily until the level subsides, which typically occurs within 48 hours.

There are currently no advisories issued for Galveston County.

If a beach is under advisory, the level of Enterococcus is high enough where it could cause illness if it enters the body. Bacteria primarily enters the body through ingestion or open cuts or wounds. If you’re a healthy adult and don’t ingest beach water or allow it to get into open cuts or wounds, you’re unlikely to become ill.

Advisories are issued for individual beach testing sites, meaning an individual advisory does not affect all area beaches. If you want to avoid an advisory, it’s often as simple as moving a few blocks to a beach that’s not under advisory.

During beach season, each of Galveston County’s 52 testing sites are individually tested weekly. During non-beach season, the sites are tested bi-weekly.

Visit www.gchd.org/beachwatch for more information about Texas Beach Watch. Additionally, www.texasbeachwatch.org has an interactive map that shows test site statuses for the entire state. Users may also sign up for e-mail alerts at that website.

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Public Health Services · Coastal Health & Wellness · Emergency Medical Services · Animal Resource Center
The Galveston County Health District (GCHD) is the local public health agency for Galveston County, Texas.
GCHD provides services and programs that protect the everyday health and well-being of Galveston County.
P.O. Box 939 La Marque, Texas 77568 • (409) 938-7221
www.gchd.org
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