The Oregon Department of Human Services on Friday lifted water advisories at beaches in Coos and Curry counties.

In a press release, the DHS said water tests the Department of Environmental Quality performed May 11 at Sunset Bay State Park and Mill Beach showed levels of the Enterococcus bacterium were low enough for safe water activities at the two beaches. On April 16, the state advised visitors to avoid the water at both beaches because of high concentrations of Enterococcus, which can be contracted by swimmers and is linked to skin rashes, gastroenteritis and eye, ear, nose and throat infections.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends Enterococcus levels no higher than 158 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters of seawater, according to the report. The most recent tests showed bacterial levels between 10 and 20 CFUs at Sunset Bay and below 10 CFUs at Mill Beach.

A third South Coast beach, at Harris Beach State Park in Brookings, remains under the advisory. The DEQ's May 11 water tests detected 173 colony-forming units of bacteria at Harris Beach, according to Cindy Gaines, a DEQ environmental health specialist in Salem.