Do not swim warning issued for 5 New York City beaches with high bacteria for 4th of July weekend

Five New York city beaches are under advisory amid a heatwave set to make Independence Day weekend a real scorcher.The advisory means the water at these beaches has high levels of bacteria.The city’s Department of Health advises against swimming and wading under this warning.Warmer temps and direct sunlight can speed up bacterial growth in beach water and sand.

The city’s testing measures enterococci — a fecal bacteria that is generally not harmful, but could indicate more dangerous bacteria and other microbes are in the water.It’s possible contaminated water can cause GI symptoms (like diarrhea, vomiting, cramping and pain), or infect wounds.In the five boroughs, safe levels of enterococci are below 104 per 100 mL of water per test, or 35 on average over the month.Here are the beaches under advisory:If you choose to swim, the EPA recommends avoiding putting your head under the water or swallowing water.Even if you’re just wading, keep open wounds out of the water, and wash hands after playing in sand.These beaches are considered safe and open:Water testing generally happens once a week across the city, except at Rockaway and Breezy Point, which gets monitored twice as often.Because the latest numbers are from several days ago, it’s possible the baking heat has made conditions even worse.The city may close beaches if things get worse, but also if they get reports of repeated illness, or if officials spot “hazardous amounts” of floating debris, infectious waste, contaminants, or evidence of sewage or wastewater at the beach....