Officials with Lambton Public Health are heading back to the shoreline this week, as the annual beach water quality monitoring program officially kicks off for the summer season.
Starting Monday, June 1, seven Lake Huron public beaches will be monitored for elevated bacteria levels to ensure the water is safe for swimmers.
The beaches will be posted with warning signs when E. coli levels are estimated to exceed the Ministry of Health guidelines.
Grand Bend's north and south beaches, Ipperwash Main Beach, Bright's Grove (including Mike Weir Park), and Canatara Park beaches will be monitored daily using predictive models.
Pinery Provincial Park and Highland Glen Park will be monitored weekly through water sampling with lab analysis.
While no sampling occurs along the St. Clair River, caution signs advising high bacterial levels following heavy rainfall are permanently posted at Branton Cundick Park, Brander Park, and Seager Park.
A beach's status will be indicated on site in one of two ways.
Warning signs will be displayed if the water is unsafe for swimming because of high levels of bacteria that may pose a risk to your health.
If no water quality issues are reported, a caution sign will still be displayed. Cloudy water caused by high wave activity and heavy rainfall may contain high levels of bacteria.
Lambton County beachgoers can access water quality status reports by texting the word BEACH to 226-909-3003, you can also call the Beach Info Line at 519-383-3816 or toll-free 1-800-667-1839 ext. 3816, or visit LambtonPublicHealth.ca.
