Beach monitoring has once again begun for the summer.
The Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Unit began monitoring beaches on June 8 and now that provincial restrictions have been lifted on beach use, users will be able to tell quickly if public beaches are safe for swimming.
The testing results will be released each Friday on the Health Unit’s website under Public Beach Reports.
Currently all beaches monitored by the Health Unit are open and safe for swimming.
The annual Beach Monitoring Program ensures that water at public beaches does not contain unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria.
As part of the program, HPEPH staff collect a minimum of five water samples from each beach scheduled that week for monitoring.
These samples are sent to a provincial lab and tested for levels of E. coli bacteria. When bacterial counts exceed provincial guidelines, warning signs are posted at the beach advising that the water is unsafe for swimming, and notices will be sent to the media, as well as posted on the HPEPH website and social media.
