FORT WALTON BEACH — One Okaloosa County park has potentially hazardous bathing water, the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County stated this week.
Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park in Niceville failed tests based on EPA-recommended enterococci standards. Enteric bacteria’s presence indicates fecal pollution from stormwater runoff, pets and wildlife or human sewage.
Lincoln Park, Valparaiso; Poquito Park, Shalimar; Liza Jackson Park and Garniers Park, Fort Walton Beach; Gulf Islands National Seashore, East Pass, Emerald Promenade, Marler Park, and Wayside Park, Okaloosa Island; and Clement E. Taylor Park, Henderson Beach and James Lee Park, Destin, also were tested.
All had good water quality except for Gulf Islands and Henderson Beach, which passed the tests but received a moderate rating, according to the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Niceville park issued hazardous water advisory