RIDOH: No Swimming at Conimicut Point, City Park, YMCA Beaches

WARWICK, RI — High bacteria counts prompted the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) to recommend no swimming at several local beaches, including three Warwick beaches.

The beaches RIDOH has recommended closing till further notice are:

• Third Beach and Peabody’s Beach in Middletown
• Sandy Point Beach in Portsmouth
• City Park and Conimicut Beach in Warwick
• Kent County YMCA in Warwick

The health department routinely checks city and state beaches for high levels of bacteria in the water. Beach closures are announced with bacteria levels exceed more than 60 cfu/100 ml ((colony forming units per 100 milliliters) of Enterocci bacteria in saltwater and in freshwater. The beach’s status can be monitored at the DOH website.

Such beach closure announcements have become routine during summer months throughout the state.

When a beach closure is recommended, water quality analysis is conducted by RIDOH’s laboratory or a state-certified laboratory. The Department noted on its website that officials will continue to monitor the water quality and recommend reopening the beach when the water is again safe for swimming.  The status of a beach may change daily.

The most up-to-date beach information is available through a recorded message on RIDOH’s beaches telephone line (401-222-2751) and online.