Santa Barbara County officials on Thursday put three beaches on warning status due to higher-than-usual bacterial levels.

The affected beaches are Gaviota State Beach, Guadalupe Dunes and Summerland Beach.

The sampling results are for the week of July 22, according to Willie Brummett of Environmental Health Services Department.

He said people are advised to stay at least 50 yards away from creek mouths and storm drains, and to avoid contact with creek and lagoon water at all times until more testing shows the water quality has improved.

The county’s Environmental Health Services Department performs regular ocean water testing, and weekly results can be found by clicking here.

— Noozhawk managing editor Michelle Nelson can be reached at mnelson@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.