Water Quality Testing Underway at Local Beaches

Peterborough Public Health (PPH) has resumed beach water testing in Peterborough and the surrounding area to ensure that water quality conditions are safe for recreational use. 

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations, Peterborough County and the City are being subject to regular testing until the end of August.

PPH notes that Rogers Cove is no longer an active beach in the City of Peterborough and is no longer being sampled.

The following beach is sampled daily, Monday to Friday:

  • Beavermead Park

Most public beaches in the county are sampled at least once a week, including:

  • Buckhorn Beach

  • Crowe’s Line Beach

  • Curve Lake Henry’s Gumming

  • Curve Lake Lime Kiln Park

  • Douro North Park

  • Ennismore Waterfront Park

  • Hiawatha Park

  • Jones Beach

  • Lakefield Park

  • Sandy Beach

  • Selwyn Beach Conservation Area

  • Squirrel Creek Conservation Area

  • Warsaw Caves Conservation Area

The following public beaches are sampled once a month from June to August:

  • Chandos Beach (2800 County Road 620, Apsley)

  • Quarry Bay Beach (1986 Northey’s Bay Road, Woodview)

  • Belmont Lake (376 Miles of Memories Road, Belmont)

  • Kasshabog Lake (431 Peninsula Road, Havelock)

  • White’s Beach (26 Clearview Drive, Trent Lakes)

PPH says the following factors may result in high levels of bacteria or other conditions that cause the beach to be unsafe for swimming between sampling periods:

  • Heavy rainfall

  • High winds or wave activity

  • Large numbers of swimmers

  • Harmful algae blooms

  • Large numbers of waterfowl

Water samples are submitted to the Public Health Laboratory for bacteriological analysis. Samples are tested for E. coli bacteria, a common indicator of fecal contamination in water.

PPH says it takes approximately 24 hours for them to receive and analyze the water quality results from the lab. If levels of bacteria exceed recommended thresholds for recreational water use, the beach will be posted as unsafe and to avoid becoming ill, people should not use the beach for swimming. If a significant risk to human health is identified, such as a toxic spill or the identification of a harmful algae bloom, a beach may be closed to the public.

PPH is offering tips to help ensure the water quality stays safe:

  • Do not feed waterfowl

  • Do not let children swim in soiled diapers

  • Pick up your garbage

  • Clean up after your pet

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