Beach advisory reported, Aug 13, 2026

Record details

Original source data

{
  "releases": [
    {
      "title": "Swimming Advisory Issued for Hilton Beach in Newport News",
      "link": "https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/news/public-relations-contacts/2026-regional-news-releases/19414-2/",
      "pubDate": "Thu, 13 Aug 2026 18:56:56 +0000",
      "published": "2026-08-13T14:56:56-04:00",
      "action": "issued",
      "categories": [
        "Hilton Beach",
        "Peninsula Health District",
        "swimming advisory"
      ],
      "dateline": "Newport News",
      "lead": [
        "Swimming Advisory Issued for Hilton Beach in Newport News",
        "NEWPORT NEWS, Va.– The Peninsula Health District has issued a swimming advisory for Hilton Beach. Samples collected on August 12 by the Peninsula Health District showed that bacteria levels in the water exceeded the state water quality standard.",
        "Health district staff routinely monitor recreational waters for bacteria during the summer swimming season. Signs are posted at the beaches alerting the public of advisories. The signs read: “Warning swimmers – bacteria levels do not meet state water quality standards, swimming not advised until further notice”.",
        "Additional samples were collected by health officials on Thursday, and results should be available on Friday. Officials will remove the signs and notify the public when the bacteria levels decrease to levels that meet the state water quality standards.",
        "People swimming or playing in waters with bacteria levels higher than the standard have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal illness. Health officials use a bacteria called enterococci to determine the extent of fecal contamination in recreational waters. While these organisms do not cause illness, scientific studies indicate that their presence is closely correlated to the presence of other disease-causing organisms.",
        "“We encourage the public to protect their health by complying with this advisory,” “Typically, an advisory of this nature is temporary and will be withdrawn once the bacteria levels have returned to a safe level.”",
        "Residents are encouraged to check current advisories before visiting local beaches."
      ],
      "advisory_area": null,
      "advice": "The signs read: “Warning swimmers – bacteria levels do not meet state water quality standards, swimming not advised until further notice”.",
      "role": "issued"
    },
    {
      "title": "Swimming Advisory Lifted at Hilton Beach",
      "link": "https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/news/public-relations-contacts/2026-regional-news-releases/swimming-advisory-lifted-at-hilton-beach-2/",
      "pubDate": "Fri, 14 Aug 2026 17:47:00 +0000",
      "published": "2026-08-14T13:47:00-04:00",
      "action": "lifted",
      "categories": [
        "Hilton Beach",
        "Peninsula Health District",
        "swimming advisory lifted"
      ],
      "dateline": "Newport News",
      "lead": [
        "Swimming Advisory Lifted at Hilton Beach",
        "NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Peninsula Health District has received results from sampling completed on Thursday, August 13. These results indicate that bacteria levels in the water at Hilton Beach meet the state water quality standards for recreational waters. The swimming advisory is no longer in effect at this location.",
        "Environmental health officials sample Hilton, Huntington, King-Lincoln, Anderson Park, and Yorktown public beaches every week during the swimming season from May to September.",
        "Residents are reminded to observe the following guidelines as they enjoy the summer swimming season:"
      ],
      "advisory_area": null,
      "advice": "Do not swim in water that looks stagnant, muddy, or smells unpleasant.",
      "role": "lifted"
    }
  ],
  "kind": "swimming",
  "place_words": [
    "beach",
    "hilton"
  ],
  "event_type_basis": "swimming advisory from beach bacteria sampling",
  "valid_until": "2026-08-14T13:47:00-04:00",
  "notes": null,
  "water_placement": {
    "subject": "Hilton Beach in Newport News",
    "town": "Newport News",
    "notes": null
  },
  "discharger_named": null,
  "_time_basis": "RSS pubDate (UTC) shown in America/New_York; started_at = the issued release, ended_at = the lift"
}

Source: Virginia Department of Health (Peninsula Health District) via Virginia Department of Health recreational water and swimming advisories (newsroom search RSS), record 19414-2, published Aug 13, 2026, 2:56 PM EDT, retrieved 2026-11-03 02:42 UTC · Read the original notice

Staff names, email addresses and phone numbers are removed from source data before it is stored.