All but two beaches open for swimming from Oshawa to Pickering

All but two of Durham Region’s 14 beaches have been declared safe for swimming this weekend.

Durham’s Health Unit tests all the beaches weekly throughout the summer. The latest results come from samples collected on July 22. “Beaches are posted as unsafe for swimming when elevated levels of E. coli exceed the provincial standard of 200 E. coli per 100 ml of water,” the Region explained.

The safe beaches include;

• Paradise Beach (Ajax)
• Beaverton North, Beaverton South and Thorah Centennial Park (Brock)
• Bowmanville East, Bowmanville West, and Newcastle Beach Central (Clarington)
• Frenchman’s Bay West (Pickering)
• Heydenshore Park and Iroquois Beach (Whitby)
• Lakeview Beach East and Lakeview Beach West (Oshawa)

Though two were flagged as unsafe;

• Frenchman’s Bay East (Pickering)
• Kinsmen Beach (Scugog)

Frenchman’s Bay is posted due to high E. coli levels. However, Kinsmen Beach posted due to an ongoing blue-green algae bloom near Platten Island. Lake Scugog often suffers these blooms late in the summer.

There hasn’t been any algae seen at the beach itself but the Region posted an advisory there as a precaution given the beach’s history of blooms. “If people observe algae mats that may be blue-green, olive-green, or red in colour, they are advised not to enter the water in the surrounding area as some can produce toxins which may be harmful to humans and pets,” Durham Health explained.