NC report ! Beaverdam at Falls Lake

Posted: Today at 10:54 a.m.

Updated: Today at 11:08 a.m.

Raleigh, N.C. Wake County has banned swimming at Beaverdam Beach on Falls Lake off N.C. Highway 50 due to elevated levels of bacteria.

The Beaverdam access point is a popular spot for kayaking and boating.

The state Division of Parks and Recreation closed the beach after a weekly test showed bacteria levels higher than allowed by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards.

"We are trying to prevent people from getting sick, so we'll keep sampling and reopen the lake for swimming as soon as the levels return to normal," said Tommy Esqueda, director of Wake County Environmental Services.

The beach must pass two consecutivie tests before it is reopened. Esqueda said the beach could be re-opened for the holiday weekend.

Other swimming areas around the lake are open, and boating, fishing and other activities are unaffected, the county said.

Beaverdam and Holly Point beaches were closed in June of 2008 after tests detected enterococcus, a bacteria normally found in the feces of humans and many animals, in the water.