Health unit installing permanent warning signs on local beaches
News
Heavy rains can leave Northwest beaches with high levels of E. Coli
Posted By Jon Thompson and Mike Aiken
Posted 1 month ago
The Northwestern Health Unit is adopting permanent signs warning of bacteria at local beaches to replace its testing system.
In the runoff after heavy rains, the beaches of the Northwest often have high levels of E. Coli, a product of the excrement of water fowl that, when ingested, can result in abdominal pains, diarrhea, fever, and nausea.
Medical officer of health, Dr. James Arthurs, used the July 1 to 5 week as an example of the ineffectiveness of the current system. On Saturday, the sky dumped the third most water ever on Kenora, nearly 90 millimetres in one day. The beach sampling began Monday, was sent to Thunder Bay for testing and the results would come in Wednesday or Thursday. Should a beach be found to have dangerously high levels of E. Coli, a sign would be posted and water samples would have to be clean on two consecutive days to reopen the beach. With the time the sample takes to make the return trip to Thunder Bay, the beach wouldn't be able to open until early or halfway through the following week.
"The reality is the beach is not posted in the time that the health hazard is the highest and by the time you put the posting up, it has been corrected unless it's a continuous rain," Arthurs explained. "When we're doing it backwards, the question that came up was frankly, does this make any sense?"
Arthurs assured that water safety in serious incidents would prevail. Last week, a public health inspector in Fort Frances received notice of a leak in the sewage system in the area and staff was working to have it repaired by 10 p.m.
A storm came in between midnight and 2 a.m., Authorities were notified downstream, beaches were posted under the assumption that swimming safety was jeopardized, and by morning, Arthurs was notified that the sewage team had been successful in fixing its leak before the rains came.
"It's more of an effort to be preventative," he said. "All beaches downstream from municipalities will be posted with a warning that during periods of heavy rains and/or high winds, the water may have increasing concentrations of bacteria. Not 'swim at your own risk' but there may be increased bacteria in the water during these times and make that a permanent posting."
The health unit sent letters to that effect to the region's municipalities late last week, saying it aimed to have the signs posted by August 1.
Coun. Jim Parson is the city's representative on the health unit board. He took his hot tub testing sticks down to the lake last night and found the levels to come out perfectly. He said although it's a shame we don't have the technology to test faster on bacteria, he agrees with the policy of being safe rather than being sorry.
"It's all good for tourism," he said. "You'd hate for people to come here and get sick from the water if we don't have proper signage. Some people might take offence from the signage but it's all positive.
"It's an educational piece. Even if it saves one illness, look at the savings on the medical side of it."
