One Beaverton beach fails test in first Beach Report of the season in Durham Region

Thirteen out of 14 public beaches in Durham Region are safe for swimming this weekend for those brave enough to test the early June waters, which is pretty good unless you live in Beaverton, where it’s one-out-of-two after Beaverton South Beach was posted this weekend with recent rains elevating the e-coli counts in Lake Simcoe.

The south beach at Simcoe Street and Harbour Park Crescent was posted as unsafe for swimming but the nearby Beaverton North beach at Wellington and Victoria streets and Thorah Centennial Park Beach further down the Lake Simcoe shoreline were deemed acceptable by water quality monitors.

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

Throughout the summer Health officials conduct bacteriological water tests to determine if beaches are safe for swimming. The Public Health Ontario Laboratory in Peterborough tests the water samples and results are shared by the Friday of each week to assist with public notification of beach postings.

Kinsmen Beach on Lake Scugog at Palmer Park in Port Perry also passed the testing, as did the ten beaches on Lake Ontario, including Paradise Beach in Ajax; Frenchman’s Bay East and West beaches in Pickering; Iroquois Beach at the foot of Gordon Street and Whitby Beach at Heydenshore Park in Whitby; Lakeshore Beach East and West in Oshawa; and three beaches in Clarington: Bowmanville East, Bowmanville West and Newcastle Beach Central.

Test results for Durham Region’s inspected public beach reports are now available on the Health Department’s Check&Go! Durham, providing real-time weekly inspection results for local beaches.

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