Officials in at least 10 states have closed beaches or warned people not to swim in the water due to high bacteria levels ahead of the Fourth of July holiday.
Some of the closures are related to bacteria from fecal waste, while others are due to high levels of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, that’s found in freshwater.
Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey and New York have each reported unsafe levels of fecal waste at certain beaches in the last week. Illinois has issued advisories for 16 beaches, and Michigan has announced two beach closures and five swimming advisories.
In Vermont, six locations are on high alert due to excess amounts of cyanobacteria, so the state is telling people not to swim there.
Many beaches…
