Beaches

Sampling Public Beach Water

Each year, we take samples of local beaches from June until the end of August to make sure the water is safe for people to swim in. Most beaches are sampled monthly, and few (beaches with a history of adverse sample results) are sampled weekly.

Samples go to the Public Health Ontario Laboratory in Sudbury and Orillia to be tested for Escherichia coli (commonly known as E. coli), a sign that the water has been contaminated with fecal matter. It takes about 24 hours for us to receive and analyze the water quality results from the lab.

See below to learn about the status of your local public beach.

When is a Beach “Posted”?

If the level of E. coli in a sample set is more than 200 E. coli cfu/100mL, the beach will be re-sampled within 24 hours.

If the level of E. coli in the re-sample set is more than 200 E. coli cfu/100mL, the water is considered unsafe for recreational use, including swimming.

When a beach is unsafe, the “Unsafe for Swimming” sign (see below) will be posted to let beach visitors know about the high bacterial counts and potential threat to human health.

The sign is taken down when re-samples show levels of E. coli have returned to acceptable levels.

Warning Unsafe For Swimming sign

Between sampling periods, the beach water may have unsafe levels of bacteria due to:

Heavy rainfall (the Rainfall Warning sign, below, is posted at all public beaches)
Large numbers of waterfowl
High winds or wave activity
Large numbers of swimmers

When is a Beach “Closed”?

A beach is “closed” when a significant risk to human health and safety has been identified, such as signs of something in the water that could cause a hazard or infection.

Swimming in the water is NOT allowed when a beach is closed, and there will be little or no public access to the beach. A ‘Do Not Swim’ sign (see below) will be posted at the beach.

The beach is re-opened when there is no longer a risk to human health and safety.

Warning sign that reads, "DO NOT SWIM. The water at this location is not safe for swimming." Image to indicate that swimming is not allowed.

Beach Status
The beach water quality testing has ended for the season, should you have any questions, please call us at 705-474-1400 or 1-800-563-2808.

Beach	Location	Last Tested	Monitoring	Status
Bell Lake Beach	18 Bell Lake Rd, McDougall	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Big Moose Beach	60 Big Moose Rd, Corbeil	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Birchaven Cove	465 Lakeside Dr, North Bay	August 29 Tested Weekly	Routine monitoring	Open
Callander Bay Beach	833 Main St S, Callander	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Callander Centennial Park Beach	Main St N, Callander	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Champlain Park Beach	1202 Premier Rd, North Bay	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Community Centre Beach	701 Hwy 124, McKellar	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Doe Lake Beach	Off Birch Crt, McMurrich/Monteith	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Doe Lake Municipal Park Beach	1014 Ferguson Rd, Armour	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Dunchurch Beach	Across 21 Church St, Whitestone	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Elks Lodge Park Beach	1200 Hwy 17 E, North Bay	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Eva Wardlaw Park Beach	458 Lakeshore Dr, North Bay	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Fitzgerald Beach	2 West Carling Bay Rd, Carling	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Foley Matheson Park & Beach	125 Rankin Lake Rd, Seguin	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Lions Park Beach	91 Main St, Sundridge	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Magnetawan Centennial Park Beach	Off Highway 520, Magnetawan	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Maple Key Park & Beach	14 Maple Key Park Rd, Seguin	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Mattawa Beach	Between 4/5 St, Mattawa	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
McManus Beach	Lakeview Dr Rd, Kearney	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Nobel Beach Park	66 Big Sound, McDougall	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Olmsted Beach	60 Lakeside Dr, North Bay	August 29 Tested Weekly	Routine monitoring	Open
Perry Clear Lake Beach	188 Churchill Gardens Rd, Perry	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Rosseau Waterfront Park	2 Jim Swift Dr, Seguin	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Shabogesic Beach	117 Memorial Dr, North Bay	August 29 Tested Weekly	Routine monitoring	Open
South Lake Bernard Beach	Next to 722 South Lake Bernard Rd, Strong	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Sturgeon Falls Beach	End of Main St W, Nipissing	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Sunset Park Beach	50 Sunset Blvd, North Bay	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open
Waubuno Beach	End of Prospect St, Parry Sound	the week of August 21	Routine monitoring	Open

Open = E. coli bacteria levels are within acceptable range at the time of sampling.

Posted = E. coli bacteria levels are high. It is not safe to swim in the water.

Closed = A health hazard exists and you are not allowed to use access to the beach area.

Not Tested = For various reasons, such as a harmful algae bloom is present, high water levels and/or debris are in the area.

For more information, please contact our Environmental Health Program at 1-800-563-2808, extension 5400 or by email at environmental.health@healthunit.ca.

Adapted with permission from Peterborough Public Health.