Orchard Beach water advisory lifted following bacteria concerns
City health officials say swimming in Orchard Beach waters could've gotten swimmers sick due to the high levels of bacteria found in the water.
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Officials from the NYC Health Department say swimmers can go in the water at Orchard Beach again following worries it could make you sick.
The advisory, which is no longer in effect, was issued after officials reported 145 different organisms found in a sample of water Tuesday. The week before, they only found 20.
The beach wasn't closed, but health experts had recommended Bronx residents avoid swimming.
Local resident Rasheeda Sayyed said officials hadn’t done a good enough job spreading the word, and that the beach shouldn’t even have been open.
“I feel like if this is the case, they shouldn't let us in,” says Sayyed. “The lifeguards are not even alerting us about the dangers of the water. So it's kind of scary and unfair.”
“Why would they let people enter and pay the $10 they charge for parking? And then nobody can get in the water,” says Gabriela Conforme, of Orchard Beach.
News 12 spoke to some lifeguards, and most weren’t aware of the advisory.
