Gaston County beach closed until further notice because of high levels of E. coli
Gaston County officials discovered a high E. coli reading during routine water testing at South Point Access Park and closed the beach until further notice, according to a news release.
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Gaston County Parks, Recreation, & Tourism closed the beach at 139 Boat Launch Road in Belmont after receiving results Thursday. Pace Labs, which samples the park’s water weekly, retested the water that same day and is awaiting results Friday.
E. coli is bacteria found naturally found in North Carolina’s bodies of water. Elevated levels of E. coli can increase the presence of strains that cause diarrhea and viruses; they can cause infections in your GI tract and urinary tract, according to Cleveland Clinic. There are about 265,000 E. coli infections each year in the United States.
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The beach off of South Point Access Park is the only public access beach Gaston County owns, said spokesperson Adam Gaub. To his knowledge, the beach has not been closed before for E. coli in the county’s two years of owning the property.
Other amenities at South Point Access Park remain open at this time. Anyone who was recently at the beach and has concerns should seek medical attention.
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