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OTTAWA — The City of Ottawa is advising residents to stay out of the water until its four supervised beaches officially open for the summer on Saturday, June 18.
A public service announcement released Thursday said swimming before the beaches have officially opened could put residents at risk. Water levels in the rivers remain high and currents strong because of the amount of rain Ottawa received this spring.
Greg Bender, chair of the city’s Drowning Prevention Coalition, said the recent days of warm weather may have given people a false impression.
“Even though the air temperature might be warm, the water is still very cold,” he said. The city still has a cold water alert in effect, because the cold temperature can quickly result in hypothermia.
“An accidental fall in the water can be treacherous,” Bender said. “Situations and incidents can happen very quickly.”
The problem has been exacerbated by the amount of rain Ottawa got in April and May. Right now water levels are very high, but Bender said that should change by the time the beaches open.
“It looks like the weather is changing and the water level will reduce,” he said. “We will have to be monitoring the situation.”
Lifeguards will be on duty as of noon on June 18 at Ottawa’s Britannia, Westboro, Mooney’s Bay and Petrie Island beaches.
For people wanting to get to the water before then, Bender recommends they visit any of the city’s outdoor pools opening this weekend.
Beaches in Gatineau Park also remain closed, though an outdated NCC webpage still online showed green flags indicating they are open.
Jean Wolff, an NCC spokesman, said Leamy Lake beach should open the second weekend in June, while the others will likely open the following weekend.
He said parents wanting to take their kids to the beach should wait until the official announcement from the NCC.
“It is always better and safer to go when it is announced that it is open.”
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