Anyone hoping to spend this weekend relaxing on the beach in Cane Garden Bay will have to postpone their plans: On Thursday, government announced that the area is closed for recreational use due to poor water quality.
Conservation and Fisheries Department officials collected water quality samples from CGB, Smugglers Cove and Long Bay on Beef Island, according to Government Information Services.
Though the water samples from Smugglers and Long Bay displayed “excellent quality,” Cane’s specimen painted a more troubling picture.
“The water sample results showed very high bad bacterial counts for Cane Garden Bay within the designated swimming area at both the cemetery and Rhymers restaurant,” said Kelvin Penn, acting chief conservation officer, in a press release.
The poor water quality could be due to excess sediment runoff and the nonfunctioning sewage treatment plan, Mr. Penn explained.
Though government is “working diligently” to clean the territory’s beaches, CGB’s shoreline will remain closed until further notice, according to GIS.
Mitch Turnbull (R-D2), CGB’s district representative, could not immediately be reached for comment.
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