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Beach
Water: Testing for Bacteria
Are our beaches safe for swimming?
The Health Protection
Department of the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit conducts testing
and inspection activities to determine the quality of beach water.
Public Health
Inspectors collect water samples from municipally owned & operated beaches
weekly from June to September.
Other beaches with
public access may also be tested where the Medical Officer of Health believes
swimming may result in illness.
A minimum of 5
samples are collected each time along the length of the beach.
Samples Are:
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Collected weekly
and analysed at the Local Public Health Laboratories.
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Tested for E. coli
bacteria, an indicator of sewage contamination.
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High Levels of
Bacteria...
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...in recreational
water may cause skin irritation, eye, ear and throat infections, or intestinal
illness.
Contamination of
beach water can be caused by:
When the geometric
mean (like an average) of 5 separate samples is greater than 100 E.coli per 100ml of
water), Health Inspectors "post" the beach as unsafe for swimming.
Posting Means...
The Medical Officer
of Health Recommends that people avoid swimming due to high levels of bacteria.
A sign is placed at
the beach to warn bathers that the water is polluted and unhealthy for swimming.
This sign remains
posted until further tests show that the water is safe for recreational use.
Here is the
LIST OF BEACHES monitored
on a weekly basis by the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit.
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