Trout Lake closed to swimming because of high levels of E. coli

A beloved East Vancouver lake has been closed to swimming because of elevated bacteria levels.

Vancouver Coastal Health closed Trout Lake to swimming and wading Wednesday after tests found unsafe levels of E. coli in the water.

The Vancouver Park Board tweeted that signs had been placed at the beach to remind the public of the closure.

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

Trout Lake joins two other Metro Vancouver beaches currently closed for E. coli contamination. Sunset Beach has been closed since June 29 and Bowen Island's Snug Cove has been closed since June 27.

VCH reviews water samples from the region's beaches regularly, issuing warnings when a single sample exceeds 400 E. coli bacteria per 100 millilitres or when a "geometric mean" of the last five samples exceeds 200. Most beaches in Metro Vancouver are tested weekly.

High levels of E. coli in the water increase the chances that a swimmer will experience gastrointestinal illness or skin or eye infections.

More information about water quality monitoring in Metro Vancouver can be found on the VCH website.