press release

2020 Beach Water Quality Monitoring

June 19th, 2020

Point Edward, ON – Lambton Public Health will begin the 2020 water quality monitoring program on Monday, June 22, 2020 at public beaches scheduled for monitoring in Lambton County.

At the time of this announcement, all authorities responsible for opening and closing local beaches have indicated that all beaches are scheduled to be open on Monday, June 22, 2020. Water quality reports will indicate if the water is safe to access:

  • Posted – warning sign displayed. Unsafe for swimming as high levels of bacteria in the waters may pose a risk to your health.
  • Not posted – caution sign displayed. No water quality issues but continue to monitor for changes. Cloudy water caused by high wave activity and heavy rainfall may contain high levels of bacteria.

Beach restrictions will be in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Remember to follow these public health safety measures to stay safe:

  • Respect closed off facilities and equipment.
  • Stay home if you are sick.
  • Stay within your social circle (10 people or less) and practice physical distancing of at least 2 metres from others outside your social circle.
  • Wash or sanitize your hands regularly especially prior to consuming food.

Lambton County beach-goers will be able to access water quality results from our predictive beach-water sampling system and water sample lab analysis.

“The predictive beach model monitoring system provides a more accurate representation of water quality and allows us to relay this information to the public sooner,” says Theresa Warren, Public Health Inspector with Lambton Public Health.

Predictive beach model monitoring will be used at five of Lambton’s public beaches and monitored on a daily basis and water sampling and testing will be sampled weekly at two additional locations. Monitoring continues until the end of August.

Water quality status reports:

Beaches monitored daily (Monday-Friday) using predictive models:

  • Grand Bend (North Beach)
  • Grand Bend (South Beach)
  • Ipperwash Main Beach
  • Bright’s Grove (including Mike Weir Park)
  • Canatara Park

Beaches monitored weekly (water sampling with lab analysis):

  • Pinery Provincial Park
  • C.J. McEwen Beach

No sampling occurs along the St. Clair River; however, a caution sign, advising of high bacteria levels following heavy rainfall, has been permanently placed at:

  • Branton Cundick Park
  • Brander Park
  • Seager Park

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Please contact:

Lori Lucas
Supervisor, Health Protection
County of Lambton
519-383-8331

Related resources:

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