NORFOLK, Va. — During the summer, there are lifeguards on the beach at Ocean View in Norfolk to make sure you stay safe, but there's also another group making sure the water is safe for you to enjoy.
"Oh yeah man, for sure I don't want any bacteria issues," J.C. Brinker, who lives in Ocean View, said.
Brinker said he did not swim at the beach last week after a swim advisory was put in place at Captain's Quarters and 5th Bay Beach.
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"First of all, because it seems to happen every couple of times a year," Brinker said. "It feels unusual when it's pretty hot, it seems more prevalent of an issue, but once I heard I said, 'I'm gonna stay out of the water until that clears up.'"
The advisory was put in place by the Norfolk Department of Public Health who from Memorial Day through Labor Day test the waters of the Chesapeake Bay.
It's part of a grant-funded program to test for high levels of enterococci bacteria. The bacteria is commonly found in animal waste, and while it may not cause an illness itself, it is correlated with other viruses and diseases.
Those viruses could cause nausea, diarrhea cramps and fevers.
Last week, the team did its first testing which showed signs of the bacteria and led to a swim advisory.
An advisorywas also put in place in Hampton and Newport News, but was lifted by the end of the week.
The concern comes if someone or a pet accidentally drinks the water with the bacteria in it.
"There's a lot out there but in terms of gastrointestinal disease part, you don't want to ingest, you don't want the dogs lapping at the water, the kids, I mean it's hard, but the idea is not to swallow the water," said Marcia Snyder with the Norfolk Department of Public Health. "You do have to worry sometimes about ear and eye infections also."
Snyder and her team normally test several locations at Ocean View where swimmers also visit on Monday.
If heavy rainfall happens over the weekend, you may see an advisory pop up because of water runoff.
While signs are posted when an advisory happens, the beach technically is not closed.
However, Snyder recommends you wait until the advisory is lifted before returning back to the water.
Snyder said they want to make sure everyone has a healthy summer.
"Whatever is in our environment that we can do to make it better, to make it safer," Snyder said. "That's why we do it and to try and get the education out there."
