The Northwestern Health Unit on Thursday posted Hannam Park Beach in Rainy River as “unsafe for swimming” due to high bacterial counts found during routine sampling.
“It’s most likely due to the phenomenal amount of rain we’ve been getting, with all the run-off,” public health inspector Dave Coats said Friday in explaining the high bacteria levels.
“And the high river level, in general, is picking up everything from the shores,” he added.
The beach will remain closed until the health unit receives two consecutive water samples that are at acceptable levels of bacteria.
“We resampled yesterday and sent it out [to a lab in Thunder Bay] so we should get results back tomorrow,” noted Coats. “We’ll take another sample Monday and get the results back Wednesday.
“If both those are clear, we’ll reopen the beach,” he said.
Meanwhile, the health unit has started regularly sampling of the water at Pither’s Point here. “It was sampled Monday [and] that sample came back clear,” Coats said.
“We’ll be doing that once a week from now on,” he added.
Exposure to high levels of bacteria can irritate skin and cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
