September 8, 2022
Water Quality Swimming Advisory Lifted
for East Martin Street Public Beach Access in KDH
The NC Department of Environmental Quality has lifted an advisory against swimming today (9/8/22) at the public beach access of East Martin Street in KDH.
The advisory was lifted because water testing shows that bacteria levels have dropped below the state’s and Environmental Protection Agency’s standards set for swimming and water play.
The advisory was posted on Aug. 24 for an area at the public beach access at East Martin Street in Kill Devil Hills. This site showed a monthly average of the bacteria enterococci above the EPA-mandated level of 35 enterococci per 100 milliliters of water, the standard for high-use sites. Subsequent testing of water samples collected at this site found that bacteria levels have fallen below this standard.
Recreational water quality officials sample 215 sites throughout the coastal region, most of them on a weekly basis, from April to October. Testing continues on a reduced schedule during the rest of the year, when fewer people are in the water.
For more information on the N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program or to a view a map of testing sites, visit the
program’s website, and follow the
program’s Twitter feed.