OGUNQUIT, Maine -- Many U.S. beaches will caution against swimming this Labor Day weekend because of elevated levels of bacteria associated with fecal waste.

Beaches from Crystal River, Fla., to Ogunquit, Maine, have been under advisories warning about water quality this past week because of unsafe levels of fecal contamination. The advisories typically discourage beachgoers from going in the water because the bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illness, rashes and nausea.

There have been closures this past week at some of the country's most popular beach destinations, including Keyes Memorial Beach in the Cape Cod village of Hyannis in Barnstable, Mass.; Benjamin's Beach on Long Island in Bay Shore, N.Y.; and a portion of the Imperial Beach shoreline near San Diego. Even on the pristine

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