Beach bums are being advised to stay out of the water at Port Stanley little beach heading into the Canada Day long weekend.
Routine weekly water quality testing by Southwestern Public Health found high levels of E. coli bacteria in the water at Little Beach, as well as Port Stanley Erie Rest beach. Signs warning people not to swim at the two beaches have been posted.
"It is 'swim at your own risk' and the posting will remain up until we are able to confirm that they are below a certain bacteria level," said Amy Pavletic, program manager for environmental health at the health unit. "It is more of a risk for people who may swallow the water. We get gastrointestinal infections from consuming high levels of bacteria. Also if you have a sore or cut then your risks of getting that infected when there's high levels of bacteria present increase."
Symptoms of gastrointestinal illness include abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea. These bacteria may also cause infections of the eye, ear, nose, and/or throat when people swim in the water.
Pavletic noted that bacteria levels can rise following an abundance of wet weather.
"We often see high levels of bacteria after heavy rainfall or rough water," said Pavletic. "People need to keep that in mind because we only sample on Mondays so there could be other times of the week - even if the beach tested fine - that there could be other risks."
This is the second time this season that high levels of E. coli bacteria have been found at Erie Rest beach.
All other beaches tested in Elgin and Oxford counties have been deemed safe for swimming, including Port Stanley main beach, Port Bruce, Port Glasgow, Springwater Conservation Area, Pittock Reservoir in Woodstock, Spring Lake in Mount Elgin, and Trout Lake in Innerkip.
