The Hernando County Parks and Recreation Department announces that Pine Island Beach, located at 10840 Pine Island Drive in Spring Hill, is now reopen for swimming.

On March 23, a swimming advisory was issued by the Florida Department of Health due to high bacteria levels, a common occurrence in many areas of Florida during the heavy summer rains. Testing that occurred on Tuesday, March 27 indicated the water quality now falls within the “Good” category.

Categories for the Department of Health’s Florida Healthy Beaches Program are as follows:

• Good = 0-35 Enterococci per 100 milliliters of marine water
• Moderate = 36-70 Enterococci per 100 milliliters of marine water
• Poor = 71 or greater Enterococci per 100 milliliters of marine water

Learn more about beach closures at www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/beach-water-quality/index.html.