DATE: Wednesday, August 27, 1997            TAG: 9708270574

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY CATHERINE KOZAK, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   37 lines

HIGH LEVELS OF BACTERIA FOUND IN PART OF KITTY HAWK BAY

Elevated levels of dangerous bacteria were detected in a small portion of Kitty Hawk Bay, state water monitors announced Tuesday.

Samples taken at the Wildlife Resources ramp - located about in the middle of the waterway - by the Shellfish Sanitation Section of the North Carolina Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources show levels of fecal coliform bacteria higher than the state standard of 200 coliform per 100 milliliters.

George Gilbert, the division's section chief, said that tests this week showed 241 coliform per 100 milliliters.

But Gilbert said the area is small and the problem is likely to disappear when use decreases after the summer season ends.

Signs warning swimmers to stay 200 feet away from the area will be posted this week, he said.

A shoreline survey seeking a pollution source showed ``nothing major of any consequence that you can put your finger on,'' Gilbert said.``It's an area of heavy uses - a lot of people, a lot of houses. A lot of indications of dogs walking along the shoreline,'' he said. In such instances, Gilbert said, contamination is ``not an unusual occurence where there's a lot of activity.

``I suspect when the season comes to a close that the counts will come down,'' he said. ``It's very likely in two or three weeks that counts will be acceptable.''

The shellfish sanitation section began weekly tests of 275 sites along the state's beaches and coastal waters in June. Results are based on a five-week rolling geometric mean - which means that each week's results are added to the sum of the five sample results, while the oldest result is dropped.

The state works in conjunction with the Dare County Water Advisory Board's monitoring program, Gilbert said. KEYWORDS: WATER POLLUTION

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