VANDERBILT BEACH, Fla. – “I think you should be hesitant about going back into the water,” that is the warning that Collier County officials have issued after water tests came back positive for bacteria.
“Our latest testing results showed in multiple areas that bacteria levels are incredibly high. That’s not what we suggest swimming in right now. So if you come to the beach I think you should enjoy the sunshine, but I wouldn’t enter the water,” said Shelley McKernan, the Water Testing Manager at the Collier County Waterkeeper.
The Waterkeeper told us they have been consistently testing waters around the Gulf of Mexico for fecal matter bacteria since the storm dissipated.
“We are testing for enterococci bacteria, the amount of fecal matter in the water. It’s an indicator for whether or not the water is poor or of good quality. On Monday, the water looked a lot more icky. It looks much better today, but looks can be deceiving. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s super clean,” said McKernan.
While it may not be safe to swim in the waters at this point, the change in beaches from last week is drastic.
“It’s just like all of us. We’re slowly cleaning up. That’s what’s happening to our beach too. It’s a day-by-day process that we’re just going to have to keep coming out here doing a little bit of cleanup and working together to make that happen,” said McKernan.
The Collier County Coastal Cleanup Teams have been working around the clock to repair beaches and remove trash. We saw crews dumping new sand on beaches and removing final pieces of trash. Drone surveys were also conducted.
“It feels good, last time I was out here there was seaweed. The beach was full of styrofoam, bits of plastic. It was just a mess,” said McKernan.
If you see trash on the beach, remove it. There are recycling and trash receptacles at every beach access point.
“Take three for the sea. Every time you come to the beach, remove a few pieces of trash. That’s one of the easiest things that you can do,” said McKernan.
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