Shoys And Princess Beaches Not Safe This Weekend, DPNR Says

ST. CROIX — The Department of Planning and Natural Resources has revealed through its weekly beach water quality monitoring program press release that two beaches on this island and one on St. John are not safe for swimming and fishing this weekend.

The program evaluates weekly water quality at popular swimming beaches throughout the territory by sampling for enterococci bacteria and turbidity, which is a measure of water clarity. According to the release, the following beaches do not meet water quality standards because they exceed the established enterococci bacteria threshold and therefore are not considered to be safe for swimming or fishing:

St. Croix

• Shoys
• Princess (Condo Row)

St. John

• Cruz Bay

Beaches approved for fishing and swimming this week include the following on St. Croix: Stony Ground, Protestant Cay, Chenay Bay, Buccaneer, Cramer Park, Rainbow, New Fort (Ft. Louise Augusta), Dorsch, Frederiksted Public Beach, Cane Bay, Pelican Cove (Comorant) and Gentle Winds.

On St. Thomas the safe beaches are: Hull Bay, Sapphire, Vessup Bay, Magen’s Bay, Secret Harbor, Bluebeards, Brewer’s Bay, Lindbergh Bay, Lindquist, Water Bay, Coki Point, Frenchman’s Bay and Bolongo Bay.

And on St. John, the safe beaches include the following: Oppenhiemer, Great Cruz Bay, Frank Bay and Johnson Bay.

DPNR says Halfpenny and Grapetree Bay here could not be sampled this week due to the heavy presence of seaweed along the shoreline.

High levels of enterococci bacteria and Turbidity may be caused by runoff due to heavy rains,
heavy marine vessel traffic, high wave activity near the shoreline, irresponsible recreational use,
etc. Runoff can consist of sediment, pesticides, animal feces and oil & grease, all of which are
harmful to the waters of the territory, the release added.

DPNR says it will continue to monitor these popular swimming areas.  The agency also recommended that residents use their own discretion when swimming or fishing at the designated beaches.

If the waters appear muddy or murky or have foul odors, do not swim or fish. For additional information regarding water quality call the Division of Environmental Protection at 773-1082 in St. Croix.