Heading into another summer weekend, public health officials in Huron and Perth counties are warning swimmers to stay out of the water at one local beach.
Routine testing conducted by Huron Perth Public Health's inspection team has found high levels of E.coli bacteria in the water at the beach in Ashfield Township Park. As such, it has been temporarily deemed unsafe for swimming. Choosing to go in the water, despite the warning from the health unit, can lead to minor skin, eye, ear, nose or throat infections or stomach illness. Symptoms of a gastrointestinal illness include abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea.
Ashfield Township Park is the only one of the region's 14 beaches to be flagged for high levels of bacteria this week.
E.coli is an indicator there is human and/or animal fecal contamination present. Warm and unsettled weather can contribute to the elevated bacteria levels in the water, according to the health unit.
The water at Ashfield Township Park will be re-tested on Friday, with results to be posted on Saturday. They can be found online at www.hpph.ca/beachinfo/.
The health unit recommends anyone heading out to the beach on any given day ask themselves two questions before deciding to swim. The first is whether the water is turbid and the second is whether it has rained heavily in the past 24 to 48 hours. If the answer to those questions is "yes", the water is likely to have high levels of E.coli, the health unit cautioned.
