Burfoot Park’s beach has been closed to swimming. Here’s why

Visitors to Burfoot Park on the eastern shore of Budd Inlet are urged not to have contact with the water after water samples showed elevated levels of bacteria.

The Thurston County Public Health and Social Services Department issued the swimming advisory for Burfoot Park Saturday. Four water samples were collected on Thursday and they showed an average of 7,335 enterococci bacteria colonies per 100 milliliters of water, a county news release says — well above the advisory level of 104 colonies per 100 ml.

Enterococcus is a genus of lactic acid bacteria, and two strains are found in human intestinal tracts. In 2004, it took the place of fecal coliforms as the new federal standard for water quality at public saltwater beaches. It is believed to provide a higher correlation than fecal coliform with many of the human pathogens often found in city sewage.

Symptoms of enterococcus infection include fever, chills, fatigue, headache, abdominal pain, pain or burning when you urinate, nausea and vomiting, according to healthline.com.

Warning signs to avoid the water have been posted at Burfoot’s public beach entrance.

Follow-up samples will be collected next week as health department staff investigate possible causes of the high bacteria levels.

The state Department of Ecology noted several swimming beaches in Puget Sound experienced high bacteria levels last week. The hot weather and heavy beach use may have contributed to the high bacteria levels, the county news release says.

For more information on common swimming and water-borne illnesses, go to https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/phss/Pages/algae-illness.aspx.

For updated information about Burfoot Park, as well as information about other swimming areas, go to https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/phss/Pages/algae-swimming.aspx.