Three beaches in St. Thomas were deemed unsafe for swimming and fishing this week by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, while one in St. John and two on St. Croix were not tested.
That’s according to a release the government agency issued Friday, which also made known that 29 beaches in total were tested. To prove safety, D.P.N.R. samples enterococci bacteria and turbidity, which is a measure of water clarity.
The unsafe beaches in St. Thomas are Lindbergh Bay, Coki Point and Secret Harbor. The untested beaches on St. Croix are Stoney Ground, Princess (Condo Row), and Grapetree Bay. On St. John, Johnson Bay was not tested.
The safe beaches are the following:
St. Croix |Cramer’s Park, Shoy’s, New Fort (Ft. Louise Augusta), Chenay Bay, Dorsch, Frederiksted Public Beach, Halfpenny, Cane Bay, Pelican Cove, (Cormorant) Protestant Cay, Rainbow and Buccaneer.
St. Thomas |Magen’s Bay, Brewer’s Bay, Sapphire, Lindquist, Frenchman’s Bay, Water Bay, Vessup Bay, Hull Bay, Bolongo Bay and Bluebeard’s.
St. John | Frank Bay, Oppenheimer, Great Cruz Bay and Cruz Bay.
D.P.N.R. said all persons should be aware that storm water runoff may also contain contaminants or pollutants harmful to human health and therefore all persons should avoid areas of storm water runoff (i.e. guts, puddles, and drainage basins) or if any area appears discolored or has foul odors. DPNR will continue to monitor the impacted areas and waters.
For additional information regarding water quality call the Division of Environmental Protection at 773-1082 in St. Croix or 774-3320 in St. Thomas.