One local beach remains closed and five other swimming areas were deemed safe through water sampling conducted this week, according to a Ledge Light Health District news release.

High bacterial levels forced officials to close Highland Park in Ledyard on July 6. According to Ledge Light, it will remain closed at least until July 19, pending results of routine sampling set to take place July 18.

The other beaches that returned high bacterial levels Tuesday were Greens Harbor in New London and Hawk's Nest Beach, Miami Beach, Soundview Beach and Old Colony Beach in Old Lyme. The beaches were resampled on Thursday and showed results that were below the bacterial action levels set by the state, Ledge Light said Friday.

According to Ledge Light, events including rain can lead to elevated bacterial counts, especially in areas that are near storm drain pipes or have low water turnover.

Ledge Light won’t close a beach unless it collects two consecutive samples with high levels. That protocol is in place to ensure the initial sample didn’t return a false positive.

For a list of beach locations, visit http://llhd.org/beaches. Anyone with questions is asked to call Ledge Light at (860) 448-4882.