Rainy summer brings water quality warnings for city beaches

While Ottawa's beaches aren't known for their crystal clear waters, high levels of rainfall this summer have resulted in near-record water quality warnings from public health officials.

Beaches at Mooney's Bay, Petrie East Bay, Petrie River and Britannia have had warnings for 62 days this summer as of Sunday.

Over the last 10 years at this point in the season, 42 water quality warnings is average — meaning this summer has seen 50 per cent more warnings than usual.

"It's all about rainfall," said Johnathan Wyatt, a health inspector with the city. "When we have an especially wet summer like we've been having, lots of contaminants flow into our waters.

"You get all of the dog and geese poop from parking lots, parks and paths around flooding into the water."

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Ottawa faced more than 77 millimetres of rainfall on Thursday, resulting in sewage backups across the city.

"Sewer overflows combined with natural creek runoffs can affect any of the beaches that are downstream from the city," Wyatt said, adding the only solution is time.

"You basically just have to wait for the water to keep flowing and water levels to go down."

Watch Thursday's storm cause hail, flooding in Ottawa and Gatineau

1 year ago

Duration 0:51

Here are some scenes from Thursday's storm, which caused power outages, hail and flooding, forcing some to abandon their vehicles. Environment Canada had issued severe thunderstorm warnings for the Ottawa-Gatineau area.

Dangers of contaminated beaches

The city tests the swimming water daily for the presence of E. coli bacteria. When elevated levels of E. coli are detected in the water, it's more likely that other disease-causing organisms are present, according to the city.

These organisms can result in skin, ear, throat or gastrointestinal illnesses. 

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If you choose to wade into the water, Ottawa Public Health recommends:

• Avoiding going into water with an open wound.
• Keeping your head out of the water.
• Showering as soon as possible post-swim.
• Washing or sanitizing hands carefully after playing in the sand.