Vancouver Park Board Thursday afternoon announced that Trout Lake has been closed to swimming and wading due to unsafe levels of E. coli. File photo Dan Toulgoet
Trout Lake will remain closed to swimming until further notice after Vancouver Coastal Health testing this week detected higher than normal levels of E.coli in the water.
Metro Vancouver beaches are monitored weekly from May to September to ensure water quality meets the Canadian Recreational Water Quality guidelines, which recommend an E.coli level of no more than 200 bacteria per 100 millilitres of water.
Test results from Trout Lake this week showed the E.coli level at 259. It was 144 last Friday. Vancouver Park Board Thursday afternoon announced the closure via Twitter.
Attention: Trout Lake is now closed to swimming and wading by order of @VCHhealthcare. The current e-coli levels exceed the healthy threshold, and the closure will remain in place until VCH advises otherwise. More info: https://t.co/uQEQn3Z3sE #Vancouver pic.twitter.com/YszB0MUzth
— Vancouver Park Board (@ParkBoard) July 19, 2018
Vancouver Coastal Health spokesperson Tiffany Akins said Trout Lake does historically tend to have higher rates of E.coli later in the summer. The increase could be attributed to a number of factors, including fecal matter from animals.
@JessicaEKerr
