Public health is no longer testing Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) beaches for E. coli.
“We normally start testing around this time of year in partnership with the health units, but now that they’ve given us notice we are not testing for the time being,” said GRCA spokesperson Lisa Stocco.
“We’re just looking at … public education at this point and making people aware of what they need to know before they go into the water.”
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health has tested GRCA beaches for E. coli since the 1970s.
Manager of health protection Shawn Zentner said there are two main reasons the health unit decided to stop the program this year.
First, Zentner said, GRCA beaches don’t meet the “public beach” criteria.
Second, he said information received from the sample E. coli tests may be inaccurate by the time public health receives the results and advises the GRCA about bacteria levels.
“Yes, it was probably the wrong thing to do last year, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make efforts to change that process this year,” Zentner said.
Previously, Stocco explained, the GRCA and the health unit would alternate responsibility for taking water samples each Monday.
The samples were taken to a lab and the results would be in with 24 to 48 hours. However, because the beaches are in the natural environment, water quality can change rapidly.
“The kinds of things that affect water quality are significant rainfall, wind, presence of wildlife like geese and gulls, but other wildlife as well and their droppings around the body of water,” Stocco said.
“And it can change from hour to hour.”
A sample that was taken on Monday could very well be inaccurate by the time it was posted on Wednesday, she said.
“That’s really the point of doing it in a different way is we want people to have the best information that we can give them in order to make a wise and informed decision about whether or not to swim,” Stocco said.
Both Zentner and Stocco said the focus now is on getting messaging out so visitors know what to look for to evaluate the water quality.
“I’m not going to say we’re making it easier for people,” Zentner said.
“To give you information to make a better choice doesn’t mean we’re making it easier for you.”
Visitors will be expected to know if there’s been rainfall, evaluate if they can see their feet when they’re waist deep in water, know if there has been wind that has stirred up the water and bacteria, and look to see if there are bird droppings around, to name a few evaluations.
The public health units in the Region of Waterloo and Brant County are following the same policy and will have similar signs and messaging at their GRCA parks.
Zentner said there are some people who rely on the testing even though it could be inaccurate.
“If we keep the same system and we post a beach to indicate that the water is fine based on a sample that was two days ago and it’s not than we would probably have … more explaining to do … if someone ended up getting some type of bacterial-related illness from swimming in the water,” Zentner said.
Though GRCA beaches are no longer being tested for E. coli, Stocco said the water is still being tested for other bacteria such as blue-green algae.
The GRCA’s board of directors is expected to receive a report at its June meeting outlining a full communications plan to explain the changes.
