The Okaloosa Health Department has lifted its health advisory for Cinco Bayou in Fort Walton Beach after water sampling showed bacteria levels had dropped below the advisory level.
- The health department said on Wednesday morning that ongoing monitoring by Okaloosa County will continue and that any relevant updates will be provided.
The advisory had been in place since Friday, Aug. 7, when the department warned against water-related activities at the location after tests completed Wednesday, Aug. 5, showed the water did not meet the state’s recreational water quality criteria for Enterococcus bacteria. Drinking water was not affected by the advisory.
The advisory followed an environmental incident in Cinco Bayou that first came to light Sunday, Aug. 2. Okaloosa County staff, the City of Fort Walton Beach and the health department began an on-site investigation that day into an abnormal discoloration and odor in the bayou between Beal Parkway and Eglin Parkway.
At the end of the Aug. 4 Board of County Commissioners meeting, Okaloosa County Chairman Trey Goodwin said the incident had impacted three-and-a-half miles of the bayou within a 24-hour period, killing thousands of fish and crabs. He said the water turned gray and the odor was a sulfur-type smell that would burn the nose and eyes.
Goodwin said at the time that the source of the incident had not been identified and that multiple agencies were pursuing possible causes, including water and sewer systems and other point sources.
No agency has publicly identified the source of the incident.
