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The green light couldn’t have come at a better time.
With the mercury sitting in the mid-to-high 20s, and humidex readings making it feel even hotter, those looking to get a break from the heat received a bonus when they got to the beach yesterday.
Every one of them was open.
City health officials determined the bacteria count in the water was low enough to swim in, although some sunbathers weren’t ready yesterday to dive in headfirst.
DON’T DRINK IT
“I’m not letting him actually swim,” said Janice D’Onofrio, who was at Westboro Beach with her eight-year-old son, Daniel. “He can go in until the water is up to his waist, but that’s it. I don’t want him drinking it.”
D’Onofrio said she was aware most of the city’s beaches have been closed for swimming several days so far this season—Westboro Beach and Petrie Island Beach have each been closed about half the days since June 21—but said she feels the water is safe enough for wading.
“He doesn’t have any big, open cuts on his body, so I think he’ll be okay,” she said, deciding to walk into the water up to her knees along with her son. “When we get home, we’ll take showers and clean ourselves off real well.”
The D’Onofrios weren’t the only family members enjoying the water yesterday.
“We’re not worried at all,” said Jim Aikman, who was at the beach to make sand castles with his two pre-school age children. “There’s enough things to worry about these days. The water looks okay to me.”
LOW RISKS
Public health officials have suggested the risk associated with coming in contact with water at the city’s beaches can be minimized by heeding swimming advisories and watching for symptoms of bacterial infection.
“When you’re dealing with bacteria in water, there will always be some concerns,” said Dr. Nadine Sicard, associate medical officer of health for Ottawa Public Health. “But if the counts aren’t too high, and if the exposure is very small, the risks are low.”
Sicard recommended taking a shower or bath after coming into contact with the water and using a good quality soap. She also said parents should be mindful of symptoms such as a rash, discharge from the eyes or diarrhea.
Although all four beaches were open for swimming, E. coli readings at both Westboro and Petrie Island beaches have been high several times over the past two weeks. Water sampled at Westboro Beach on Thursday showed 617 E. coli bacteria per 100 ml of water, high enough to order the beach closed.
Ottawa Sun