Department of Planning and Natural Resources tests this week found St. Thomas’ Lindqvist Beach and Secret Harbor contained excessive Enterococci Bacteria and were ruled unsafe for swimming and fishing.
The weekly Beach Water Quality Monitoring Program monitored 25 beaches June 16 – June 20.
The tests, which evaluate weekly water quality at popular swimming beaches throughout the territory by sampling for Enterococci Bacteria and turbidity, a measure of water clarity, found the following beaches met water quality standards and are considered safe for swimming and fishing:
St. Croix
Buccaneer Beach Ha’Penny Beach Stony Ground, Cane Bay New Fort Louisa Augusta, Chenay Bay Protestant Cay, Cramers Park Rainbow Beach, Dorsch Beach Shoy’s Beach, Frederiksted Public Beach Sprat Hall
St. Thomas
Bluebeard’s Beach Hull Bay, Bolongo Bay Lindbergh Bay, Brewer’s Bay Magens Bay, Coki Point Sapphire Beach, Frenchman’s Bay Vessup Bay
The following beaches do not meet water quality standards because they exceed the established Enterococci Bacteria threshold and therefore are not considered safe for swimming or fishing:
• Lindqvist Beach on St. Thomas
• Secret Harbor on St. Thomas.
Please note: Samples were not collected at the following beaches, therefore, the water quality at these beaches is unknown.
• Columbus Landing on St. Croix
• Grapetree Bay Beach on St. Croix
• Pelican Cove (Comorant) on St. Croix
• Princess Condo Row on St. Croix
• Water Bay on St. Thomas
• All the beaches on St. John and Water Island.
For additional information regarding water quality, call the Division of Environmental Protection at 773-1082 in St. Croix or 774-3320 in St. Thomas.
