High levels of E. coli are making the main beach in Port Stanley unsuitable for swimming.
Elgin St. Thomas Public Health posted the warning on the beach after water testing found high levels of bacterial contamination for the second week in a row.
"The beach is still open but there is a sign posted that due to the bacterial levels there is a greater risk to health," says Andrew Powell, manager of health protection programs at Elgin St. Thomas Public Health. "If you're ingesting the water there is a higher chance that you can have some adverse health outcomes such as gastrointestinal tract issues."
Water quality testing is conducted weekly at eight local beaches, including Port Glasgow, Port Stanley Main Beach, Port Stanley Little Beach, Port Stanley Erie Rest, and Port Burwell Main Beach.
Powell says high levels of bacterial contamination are not uncommon in the waters of Lake Erie.
"Whenever you are thinking about a lake it is a lot of times dependent on the weather," says Powell. "If you have rough water, heavy rains typically you can have a result of high levels of bacteria. The Main beach is sampled by the municipality twice a week to look at these levels."
