Beaches in Ajax, Clarington, Whitby, Port Perry and Beaverton posted as unsafe for swimming

Recent bouts of hot weather combined with torrential rains have done their dirty work to the lakeside swimming spots in Durham Region with half of the 14 beaches monitored by the Region of Durham posted this week as unsafe for swimming because of high levels of e-coli.

The Health Department reminds the public not to swim in beach water for at least 48 hours after heavy rainfall as bacteria levels can increase due to run-off.

Kinsmen Beach at Palmer Park on Lake Scugog in Port Perry also has a blue-green algae advisory and is one of the seven beaches posted by the Region.

Beach-goers are advised to keep children and pets from swimming or playing in areas where water is discoloured or where foam, scum, or mats of algae on the water’s surface are present. Consuming fish from areas where mats of algae are present is also not advised.

Other beaches posted as unsafe include Paradise Beach in Ajax; Bowmanville East and Newcastle Beach Central in Clarington; and Iroquois Beach in Whitby – all on Lake Ontario – as well as Beaverton South and Thorah Centennial Park on Lake Simcoe in Brock Township.

Beaches declared safe to swim this weekend are Beaverton North (Brock) on Lake Simcoe; and Lake Ontario beaches Bowmanville West (Clarington), Lakeview East and Lakeview West (Oshawa), Frenchman’s Bay East and Frenchman’s Bay West (Pickering), and Whitby Beach.

The Region’s Health Department conducts bacteriological water tests throughout the summer to determine if beaches are safe for swimming. The Public Health Ontario Laboratory in Peterborough tests the water samples and the results are shared with the media before each weekend.

For more information about the Health Department’s Beach Monitoring program, visit durham.ca/beaches, or call Durham Health Connection Line at (905) 668-2020 or 1-800-841-2729.