Photo: Girl at Trout Lake in Vancouver / Shutterstock
Vancouver Coastal Health warns that Trout Lake in Vancouver's John Hendry Park has been closed for swimming due to high levels of E. coli in the water.
The regional health authority noted that the lake would not be suitable for swimming after a sample from the water came back showing 285 MPN/100mLs for E. coli. As such, the lake has been closed for both swimming and wading until further notice.
Photo: Google Maps
VCH notes that, "the Canadian Recreational Water Quality Guidelines recommends a level of ≤ 200 E. coli bacteria per 100 ml of water for primary contact recreational activities." As a result, when the water exceeds 200 E. coli bacteria per 100 ml, an assessment must be made to determine the possible health risks.
The Vancouver Park Board also mentioned the advisory in a tweet on Wednesday, July 17.
Trout Lake has been closed to swimming due to high E.coli levels. #VancouverCoastalHealth provides water quality reports and has advised of the latest sample counts. Visit https://t.co/j1IfzCmvRH… for details and respect signage placed at the beach.
— Vancouver Park Board (@ParkBoard) July 18, 2019
Vancouver's Sunset Beach also has an E. coli advisory and is therefore unsafe for public swimming.
HealthLinkBC also warned the public about the rise of blue-green algae blooms in lakes across Northern B.C. this week. Blue-green algae are bacteria that grow in shallow, slow moving or still water, and may look like scum, grass clippings, fuzz or globs.
People may become very ill after coming in contact with the blooms. Northern Health notes that those, “who ingest water containing toxins from blue-green algae, may experience skin irritation, rash, sore throat, sore red eyes, swollen lips, fever, nausea and vomiting or diarrhea.”
Have a look at the VCH - beach water quality map to determine whether a body of water is safe for public swimming.
