August 20, 2025
Media Contact: Bill Pfeiffer, Environmental Health Supervisor
(757) 414-6252 or (757) 302-4278
Swimming Advisory Issued for Cape Charles Public Beach
NASSAWADOX, Va. – The Northampton County Health Department has issued a swimming advisory for the Cape Charles Public Beach, Cape Charles, Virginia. Beach water samples collected on August 19, 2025, by the Virginia Department of Health showed that bacteria levels in the water exceeded the State Water Quality Standards.
Recreational waters are monitored for bacteria using indicator organisms such as enterococci, the indicator of choice for estuarine and marine waters. “The coastal waters of Virginia are generally very clean, and we test them frequently to confirm this,” said Eastern Shore Health District Director, Jon Richardson. “On the occasions when waters do fail to meet the standards, we need to protect public health by letting residents and visitors know.” Signs have been posted at the Fe
Warning! Swimming Advisory
Bacteria Levels Do Not Meet State Water Quality Standards
Swimming Not Recommended Until Further Notice
Health officials will continue testing the site, and they will remove the signs and notify the public again when the bacteria levels decrease to levels that meet the standard. Environmental health officials sample Cape Charles Public Beach on a weekly basis during the swimming season from late May to early September.
Enterococci is a group of organisms used to determine the extent of fecal contamination of recreational waters. While they do not cause illness, scientific studies indicate that their presence is closely correlated to the presence of other disease-causing organisms. People swimming or playing in waters with bacteria levels higher than the standard have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal illness.
“We encourage the public to protect their health by following this advisory,” said Richardson. “Typically, an advisory of this nature is temporary and will be withdrawn once the bacteria levels have returned to a safe level.”
For additional information on beach advisories, contact the Northampton County Health Department at (757) 414-6252. To learn more about the beach water monitoring program in Virginia visit http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/environmental-epidemiology/beach-monitoring/. For more information about recreational water swimming safety, visit the website www.swimhealthyva.com.
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This advisory is being issued out of an abundance of caution in response to an ongoing discharge of untreated sewage from the City of Hopewell wastewater treatment plant. On July 11, around midnight, a power failure occurred which has resulted in an estimated million gallons of untreated sewage being discharged.
This advisory is issued out of an abundance of caution in response to an incident on July 9, where approximately 400,000 gallons of partially treated sewage was discharged from the plant into Hoskins Creek after a lightning strike caused an equipment failure. Ongoing discharge of partially treated sewage from the Town of Tappahannock wastewater treatment plant continues. The partially treated sewage is still being processed and filtered at the wastewater plant but is not undergoing final disinfection which could increase the likelihood of bacteria presence in the advisory area. The town does have a contingency plan in place to use other methods of final disinfection which will begin in the afternoon of July 10, and will continue to sample the treated sewage from the outfall to Hoskins Creek for the presence of bacteria.