Grey Bruce Public Health, in consultation with Saugeen Shores, posted Southampton Beach as unsafe for swimming on August 13th after water-sampling results showed bacterial levels exceeding Ontario Ministry of Health standards.
The beach posting remained in effect until further samples showed levels returned to within the acceptable range for swimming/bathing.
Grey Bruce Public Health (GBPH) lifted the swim advisory for Southampton after receiving test results from a new series of beach water samples that showed bacterial levels have returned to within Ontario Ministry of Health guidelines for safe swimming/bathing.
“We would like to thank the residents of the Saugeen Shores and visitors to Southampton Beach for respecting the advisory. Beaches are posted as unsafe when bacterial levels in the water could pose a risk to human health,” said GBPH Senior Public Health Manager Andrew Barton.
The decision was made after GBPH received lab confirmation that water samples from the beach had bacterial levels exceeding Ontario’s recreational water quality guideline of a maximum of 200 E. coli per 100 millilitres of water.
People who swim, play in, or use beach water with high bacterial levels are at an increased risk of getting sick or getting an infection.
Even if a beach is not officially posted as unsafe for swimming, Grey Bruce Public Health advises people to use their best judgment before taking a dip or allowing children or pets to swim or play in the water. Water quality can change from day to day or even hour to hour depending on the weather and other conditions.
Do not swim or play in beach water particularly within 48 hours of heavy rainfall, if the water is so cloudy that you cannot see your feet at waist-deep, or if there is a large number of birds or algae in the water.
