CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- City officials are investigating after high bacterial levels were detected in Meade Creek.

According to a release, the Rivanna Conservation Alliance found elevated levels of E. coli bacteria in a recent sample.

This was found in a part of the creek not far from Meade Park.

Officials are attempting to identify the source of the contamination and address the issue.

At this time, people are advised to avoid contact with the water.

Typically, when E. coli is detected in water, it is an indicator of sewage or animal waste contamination, and exposure to it can cause illness.

Meade Creek begins below Garden Street and Walnut Street in the Belmont area. 

It heads north in an underground pipe below the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks and East Market Street before resurfacing east of 12th Street NE, where it flows through Meade Park before reaching the Rivanna River.

For more information on stream health in Charlottesville, click here.