Public beaches and other recreational water facilities, such as pools and spas, are popular places in Grey-Bruce.
Enjoying these activities can deliver important health benefits. Yet there is a risk of injury or illness from recreational use if the water is polluted or unsafe.
Human illness and infection can be caused by organisms (bacteria, viruses, and parasites) that may be present in pools, spas/hot tubs, and natural bodies of water.
Beaches in Grey-Bruce have a history of being safe. However, water quality can quickly change depending on the weather and other conditions.
Learn more
Grey Bruce Public Health conducts monthly tests of the water at select beaches each summer.
Public Pools, Spas, Wading Pools, Splash Pads, and Water Slides.
Additional information related to recreational water.
Beaches in Grey and Bruce County have a history of being safe. However, water quality can change from day to day or even hour to hour depending on the weather and other conditions. High bacteria levels usually occur due to weather-related events. The health unit encourages beach goers to make an informed decision about beach water quality in real time before you go swimming. You are the best judge of whether the water is safe to swim!
For Beach Advisories for July 10th, 2023 and later please go to our Check-It site;
Check-it Disclosures After July 10, 2023
Every summer, from about June to September, Grey Bruce Public Health takes samples of water from select public beaches and submits the samples for testing.
Samples are taken monthly and sent to a laboratory to test for E. Coli levels in the beach water.
GBPH follows provincial legislation to decide which beaches to test. The beaches must be owned and operated by a municipality and open to the public for swimming. GBPH also considers the popularity and level of use of the municipally owned beaches to finalize a list of beaches that are regularly tested.
A full list of beaches that are monitored monthly by GBPH is available at the following link: https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/Your-Environment/Safe-Water/Recreational-Water#1805101-how-are-beaches-selected-for-monitoring
Grey Bruce Public Health will, in collaboration with the municipality that owns and operates a public beach, post the beach as unsafe for swimming if water samples show E. coli levels above the provincial recreational water quality guideline of 200 E. coli per 100 millilitres of water.
High levels of E. coli can indicate the presence of other harmful organisms, which can increase the risk of getting sick from the water.
Public Health takes at least five samples from each beach and the final test result is the geometric mean of all samples taken.
E. coli levels above the provincial recreational water quality can pose a risk to a swimmer or bather’s health.
Beach water quality can change from one hour to the next due to environmental conditions.
Before entering the water at a beach, Public Health recommends assessing the conditions and using your best judgement.
Ask yourself these questions to judge water quality, in real time:
If you answered YES to any one of these questions, you should NOT swim. The water may have high levels of bacteria that could increase the risk of skin, eye, ear, nose and throat infections or gastrointestinal illness.
Public Health recommends that people assess any beach’s condition in real-time and use their best judgment before swimming or playing in the water.
If a beach is posted as unsafe for swimming, Grey Bruce Public Health will continue to take samples from the water and send them into a laboratory for testing.
Once results return to being with the provincial guidelines for recreational water, the posting will be lifted.
This may take a few days even if the water conditions improve rapidly and samples are retaken right away. That’s because it takes time for the samples to get to the laboratory and for the testing to take place. The labs test large numbers of samples daily.
Please be assured that Public Health will lift the posting as soon as it receives confirmation that it is safe to do so.
Water sampling and testing isn’t the best way to determine if a beach is safe for swimming.
This is because of the delay between taking a sample and receiving the results.
It can take a day or two to find out if E. coli levels exceed provincial guidelines and, by that time, the levels may have actually dropped to within acceptable levels.
This is why Public Health encourages people to not rely on beach postings alone when determining whether or not to swim at a beach.
You should assess the water’s condition in real-time and recall whether there was heavy rain recently before deciding to swim.
GBPH adheres to Ontario’s Operational Approaches for Recreational Water Guideline, 2018, when planning and implementing its annual beach water monitoring program.
The Guideline allows for beaches to be tested monthly if the beach consistently had good water quality the previous summer.
GBPH will test beach water quality more frequently if samples from that beach exceed provincial guidelines.
GBPH collects monthly water samples and submits them for testing primarily to track long-term trends in water quality. The results are less useful for daily decision-making.
A beach posting notifies the public that recent samples from the beach exceeded provincial guidelines for safe swimming. They advise people not to swim or bathe in the water.
A beach closure is far more rare. A beach closure is issued when an immediate and significant health hazard is present. This could be a sewage spill, a toxic chemical release or a visible bloom of blue-green algae in the water.
Beaches are posted if the Health Unit believes that there may be a risk to the public when the levels of E.coli exceed the federal guidelines. These guidelines are as follows:
The posting is lifted when sample results indicate the risk has been reduced to a safe level.
A beach will be posted with extra signs when the beach is not safe for swimming. The signs are displayed in prominent positions at the beach to warn bathers of the danger.
Beaches are posted if the Health Unit believes that there may be a risk to the public when the levels of E.coli exceed (or are predicted to exceed) the federal guidelines (200 E.coli per 100mL of beach water) and other factors such as the environmental conditions.
Beach warning signs are removed after the E.coli levels or conditions return to acceptable levels.
Note: Beaches are only monitored for E. coli levels; there may be other harmful bacteria, viruses or parasites in the water.
Key Beach Safety Messages
You can help keep the beaches clean by following these few simple tips:
NOTE: The results shown are taken monthly and measure the E. coli per 100 ml of beach water. The results will be used to track long term trends in water quality. The decision to swim should be based on real time conditions and not the monthly test results.
Beaches at Provincial Parks are monitored by the local authority.
Ontario regulations and guidelines set out minimum standards to provide clear, clean water and safe conditions for bathers in public swimming pools, spas, wading pools, and water slides. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, and some parasites can survive in these facilities and may cause eye, ear, throat, and skin infections along with respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. Injury or death may result from physical hazards, such as broken or missing drain covers which can cause severe cuts, entrapment, and evisceration.
Public health inspectors perform routine inspections of these facilities and work with the operators to prevent and reduce the risk of water-borne illnesses and injury or death. All pools and spas are inspected at least once every three months for year-round facilities, with a minimum of 2 times per year for seasonal facilities.
Summary inspection results are available at Check It
Grey Bruce Public Health changed service providers for our inspection platform in the Summer of 2023. For inspections conducted before July 10 2023 please contact us at 519 376 9420 or 1 800 263 3456, or e-mail us for assistance.
Owners and operators of pools, spas and Class C facilities (public Spray/splash pads, wading pools and Receiving basin’s at the bottom water slides) are required by law to operate and maintain their facility according to Ontario Regulation 565 – Public Pools under the Health Protection and Promotion Act R.S.O. 1990, c.H.7. The Technical Standards and Safety Association has authority over and enforces water slide safety.
At least 14 days before re-opening a recreational water facility, the owner or operator is to notify the health unit. Notification of Recreational Water Facility Opening
Please see the regulations, operator’s manuals, fact sheets and guidance documents for more information. If you require further assistance, please contact the Grey Bruce Health Unit.