Just in time for summer: 2 Vancouver beaches closed to swimming due to E. coli
With hot weather on the way this weekend for the first time this summer, many Vancouverites will be heading for the beach. Unfortunately, two popular beaches will be closed to swimming because of E. coli contamination.
Water sampling at English Bay and Locarno beaches by Vancouver Coastal Health has found bacteria levels in excess of the acceptable range.
The Vancouver Park Board tweeted Friday that both beaches would be closed to swimming until further notice as a result.
Each beach saw consecutive samples well over the 400-parts-per-100-millilitre level that is considered acceptable for swimming, according to the health authority's website.
Concentrations at Locarno Beach exceeded 1,607 parts per 100 millilitres, while concentrations at English Bay Beach were over 1,785.
The only other beaches in Vancouver Coastal Health's coverage area that are currently closed to swimming are Sandy Beach on Bowen Island and Vancouver's Trout Lake.
Each of those beaches saw the geometric mean of E. coli levels recorded over the last five tests rise above 200 parts per 100 millilitres, which is the other way water quality testing can lead to beach closures.
Trout Lake closed to swimming on Tuesday and Sandy Beach closed Thursday.
High levels of E. coli in water can come from a variety of sources, including from contaminated stormwater runoff, leaking septic tanks and discharge from boats, according to VCH.
When bacteria concentrations are high, there is an increased risk that swimmers will suffer gastrointestinal illness or infections to the skin or eyes, the health authority says, adding that seniors, children and people with weakened immune systems are the most susceptible.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.