BELHAVEN — Watersports enthusiasts and swimmers can now return to a site at Pantego Creek Beach, previously advised as a place that could possibly cause health risks.

State recreational officials lifted the May 2 swimming advisory at a Pantego Creek site after conducting further testing of the site.

N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program Manager J.D. Potts said the advisory was lifted because water testing showed that bacteria levels had dropped below the state and EPA’s standards set for swimming and water recreation.

“We continue to sample weekly until we get two satisfactory samples in each week,” Potts said. “When the monthly average falls below the standard we lift the advisory.”

On May 2, the public access area at Pantego Creek at the intersection of East Main and Tooley streets, showed a monthly average of the bacteria enterococci above the EPA-mandated level of 35 per 100 milliliters of water, the standard for high use sites.

Potts said the bacteria enterococci are an indicator of fecal contamination, which could be from human or animal waste.

“There used to be mallard ducks that used to hang out at the Pantego Creek Beach,” Potts said. “I don’t know for sure if they’re still there. But it just means there is fecal contamination in the water. That doesn’t mean there is sewage in the water.”

The NCRWQP uses bacteria such as enterococci to help them get an idea of what threats may be present at different sites. Potts said it is much more difficult to sample for individual pathogens such as salmonella or hepatitis A.

“If you find the enterococci bacteria, there’s a good chance you will find these other pathogenic or disease-causing organisms,” Potts said. “We monitor the areas weekly. We will repost the advisory as needed and lift the advisory as needed.”

The N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program monitors and conducts testing at high-traffic sites frequently, Potts said. There are 240 sampling sites in coastal waters across the state and most of them are tested on a weekly basis from April through October.

For more information on the N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program, visit its website at http:/portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/recreational-water-quality or on Twitter.com @ncrecprgm.