Beach advisory reported, Aug 13, 2026

Record details

Original source data

{
  "releases": [
    {
      "title": "Swimming Advisory Issued for Cape Charles Public Beach",
      "link": "https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/news/public-relations-contacts/2026-regional-news-releases/swimming-advisory-issued-for-cape-charles-public-beach/",
      "pubDate": "Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:02:58 +0000",
      "published": "2026-08-13T12:02:58-04:00",
      "action": "issued",
      "categories": [
        "Cape Charles Public Beach",
        "Northampton County Health Department",
        "swimming advisory"
      ],
      "dateline": "Nassawadox",
      "lead": [
        "Swimming Advisory Issued for Cape Charles Public Beach",
        "NASSAWADOX, Va.– The Northampton County Health Department has issued a swimming advisory for the Cape Charles Public Beach, Cape Charles, Virginia. Beach water samples collected on August 11 by the Virginia Department of Health showed that bacteria levels in the water exceeded the State Water Quality Standards.",
        "Recreational waters are monitored for bacteria using indicator organisms such as enterococci, the indicator of choice for estuarine and marine waters. “The coastal waters of Virginia are generally very clean, and we test them frequently to confirm this,” “On the occasions when waters do fail to meet the standards, we need to protect public health by letting residents and visitors know.” Signs have been posted at the Cape Charles Public Beach alerting the public of the advisory. The sign reads:",
        "Warning! Swimming Advisory",
        "Bacteria Levels Do Not Meet State Water Quality Standards",
        "Swimming Not Recommended Until Further Notice",
        "Health officials will continue testing the site, and they will remove the signs and notify the public again when the bacteria levels decrease to levels that meet the standard. Environmental health officials sample Cape Charles Public Beach on a weekly basis during the swimming season from late May to early September.",
        "Enterococci are a group of organisms used to determine the extent of fecal contamination of recreational waters. While they do not cause illness, scientific studies indicate that their presence is closely correlated to the presence of other disease-causing organisms. People swimming or playing in waters with bacteria levels higher than the standard have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal illness."
      ],
      "advisory_area": null,
      "advice": "Warning! Swimming Advisory",
      "role": "issued"
    },
    {
      "title": "Swimming Advisory Lifted for Cape Charles Public Beach",
      "link": "https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/news/public-relations-contacts/2026-regional-news-releases/swimming-advisory-lifted-for-cape-charles-public-beach/",
      "pubDate": "Thu, 13 Aug 2026 19:43:31 +0000",
      "published": "2026-08-13T15:43:31-04:00",
      "action": "lifted",
      "categories": [
        "Cape Charles Public Beach",
        "Eastern Shore Health District",
        "swimming advisory lifted"
      ],
      "dateline": "Nassawadox",
      "lead": [
        "Swimming Advisory Lifted for Cape Charles Public Beach",
        "NASSAWADOX, Va. – The Eastern Shore Health District has lifted the swimming advisory at Cape Charles Town Beach in Cape Charles, Virginia. Recent follow-up testing conducted within 24 hours of the initial samples confirmed that bacterial levels in the water once again meet the State Water Quality Standards.",
        "Signs alerting the public of the advisory have been removed from Cape Charles Beach.",
        "Environmental health officials collect water samples from Cape Charles Town Beach weekly throughout the summer swimming season. Beach water monitoring on the Eastern Shore of Virginia normally ends the week of Labor Day.",
        "To learn more about the beach water monitoring program in Virginia, visit http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/environmental-epidemiology/beach-monitoring/. For more information about recreational water swimming safety, visit the website www.swimhealthyva.com."
      ],
      "advisory_area": null,
      "advice": null,
      "role": "lifted"
    }
  ],
  "kind": "swimming",
  "place_words": [
    "beach",
    "cape",
    "charles",
    "public"
  ],
  "event_type_basis": "swimming advisory from beach bacteria sampling",
  "valid_until": "2026-08-13T15:43:31-04:00",
  "notes": null,
  "water_placement": {
    "subject": "Cape Charles Public Beach",
    "town": "Nassawadox",
    "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 (Northampton County Health Department) via Virginia Department of Health recreational water and swimming advisories (newsroom search RSS), record swimming-advisory-issued-for-cape-charles-public-beach, published Aug 13, 2026, 12:02 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.