Miami-Dade reports fecal pollution at Crandon Park near Key Biscayne

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – Several tests indicated there was fecal pollution at the beaches of Crandon Park near Key Biscayne, The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County announced on Thursday.

The health officials asked the public to avoid swimming in both the north and south areas of the park and reported that several consecutive water samples “did not meet the recreational water quality standard for enterococci,” which can cause diseases of the skin, eyes, ears, and respiratory tract.

The water samples at Crandon Park that prompted the advisory affecting both the northern and southern parts of the park were both “poor” on Monday and Tuesday, records show.

The water sample on Monday at the nearby Virginia Key Beach Southside, also known as the Dog Park, tested negative and officials determined it was safe to swim there, records show.

The agency reported that fecal pollution “is largely derived from human sewage or excreta from warm-blooded animals.”

The Central District Wastewater Treatment Plant is in the northern area of Virginia Key, north of the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, Crandon Park, and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.

For more information or updates on the advisory, visit the agency’s page for the Florida Healthy Beaches program.

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