Portion of one of Penticton’s busiest beaches closed due to E. coli
A swimming advisory has been issued for almost half of one of Penticton’s busiest beaches. The stretch of beach on Okanagan Lake from the iconic S.S. Sicamous to just west of Power Street is under the advisory after extremely high levels of E. coli bacteria were found. “Signs...
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A swimming advisory has been issued for almost half of one of Penticton’s busiest beaches.
The stretch of beach on Okanagan Lake from the iconic S.S. Sicamous to just west of Power Street is under the advisory after extremely high levels of E. coli bacteria were found.
“Signs have been posted on-site stating that the water quality is poor and swimming is not recommended at that location at this time,” stated a city media release issued today, July 26.
READ MORE: Diving into Okanagan, Kamloops area lakes to beat the heat? Watch out for swimmer’s itch
https://infotel.ca/newsitem/diving-into-okanagan-kamloops-area-lakes-to-beat-the-heat-watch-out-for-swimmers-itch/it105594
The city said the test found 2,500 colony forming units of E. coli per 100 ml sample. The maximum safe number of units is 400 per 100 ml sample.
Interior Health will continue to test the water and once E. coli levels return to acceptable levels as outlined in Health Canada’s guidelines.
If swimmers ingest the water they can develop gastrointestinal illnesses, skin rashes and eye, ear and throat problems. Very young and very old swimmers with weakened immunity are the most susceptible to the e-coli bacteria.
High levels of E. coli bacteria are often caused by waterfowl and animal waste.
For more on beach closures in Penticton and throughout the Interior Health region go here
https://www.interiorhealth.ca/health-and-wellness/environmental-health-and-hazards/public-beaches
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