No swimming advisory continues for two Ottawa beaches

Ottawa Public Health says two local beaches remain unsafe for swimming, as water exceeds provincial bacterial standards.

The no swimming advisory remains in effect for Mooney’s Bay Beach and Petrie River, according to OPH’s website.

Meanwhile, Britannia Beach and Petrie East Bay are deemed safe for swimming, OPH says.

“When elevated levels of E. coli are detected in the water, it is more likely that other disease-causing organisms are also present. These organisms can result in skin, ear, throat or gastro-intestinal illnesses,” OPH says.

On Thursday, OPH issued no swimming advisories for the city’s four beaches due to high levels of E.coli bacteria in the water.

OPH says excessive rainfall is to blame for the high levels of E.coli bacteria at both Britannia Beach and Petrie River Beach. As of Thursday, Ottawa received a total of 44.1 millimetres of rain, as the remnants of Hurricane Beryl moved through the region. 

OPH updates the water quality results daily, as water samples will be collected from City of Ottawa supervised beaches between June 15 and August 25 and tested for the presence of E. coli bacteria.

When swimming is not recommended, health officials urge people to avoid going into the water and not swallowing water or take it in your mouth.

There have been several no swim advisories issued for Ottawa’s beaches since the beach season began on June 15.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Josh Pringle