Yesterday, the city of San Diego erected a sign next to Mission Bay that read: ‘Advisory! Bacteria levels exceed health standards. Contact with water may cause illness.’ Aside from this, there was no other information surrounding the water or why it was perceived to be dangerous. Having said this approximately 2,000 gallons of sewage were discharged into the water at Tecolote Shores, located on the eastern shoreline of Mission Bay back in late July.

The sign was originally uploaded to Reddit where the user claimed to photograph it at Tecolote Shores facing Enchanted Isle. It goes without saying that when you see a sign like this, you should listen and heed caution.

Replying to this, one user wrote: “Bacteria is caused by all sorts of reasons. Pollution obviously is a huge one. All over Utah right now there’s bacteria in the water that’s harmful to dogs and animals. It’s an unfortunate thing. I hope people listen and wait until it clears up.”

This is because the primary concern lies in the risk of infection. Water contaminated with harmful pathogens like E. coli and fecal coliform bacteria can lead to infections if these bacteria enter your body through the mouth, nose, eyes, ears, or open wounds. These infections can manifest in various ways, causing gastrointestinal problems, skin issues, ear and eye infections, and respiratory complications.