Hurricane Irma: Florida Department of Health gives Collier, Lee beaches all-clear for bacteria

Naples

Jaime Cook, an environmental supervisor with the Collier County Department of Health, uses two bottles to collect water samples. One used solely for red tide, left, and the other to analyze overall water quality at Vanderbilt Beach on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, just over a week after Hurricane Irma made landfall in Naples.

Beaches in Collier and Lee counties got the all-clear Wednesday after tests showed the water to have safe levels of bacteria.

The Florida Department of Health had issued a precautionary no-swimming advisory in the days after Hurricane Irma in case contaminated floodwaters had found their way to the Gulf of Mexico.

Reports of sewage system overflows were widespread in Collier and Lee counties when pump stations lost power during Irma.

Tests at Lee beaches Monday and Collier beaches Tuesday found enterococci levels below 35 units per 100 milliliters of water, which puts water quality in the "good" category, according to health department results released Wednesday.

For a beach to be closed for swimming due to bacteria contamination, enterococci numbers have to be at least 71 units.

Previously:Collier issues precautionary swim advisory until beaches can be tested for bacteria

Collier environmental health supervisor Jaime Cook said the timing of the samples — a week after the storm — and beaches free of rotting fish or seaweed helped the results.

Jaime Cook, an environmental supervisor with the Collier County Department of Health, collects a water sample at Vanderbilt Beach on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, just over a week after Hurricane Irma made landfall in Naples, Fla.

"I think the water had time to settle down, move away from the coast," she said. "We typically have very good water quality."

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The testing was part of Lee and Collier counties' Healthy Beaches program, which tests beach water quality every Monday. Samples were not collected the day after the Sunday that Irma made landfall.

Beaches tested in south Lee included Bonita Beach Park, Bowditch Park, Bowman's Beach, Lovers Key State Park and Little Hickory Island Park.

In Collier, health workers sampled Barefoot Beach, Vanderbilt Beach, Clam Pass, Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Doctors Pass, Lowdermilk Park, the Naples Pier and Park Shore, as well as Hideaway, Tigertail, Residents and South beaches on Marco Island.

The highest bacteria level counted in Collier was at Tigertail, which posted a result from the lagoon side of the beach of 31 units per 100 milliliters.