BEATING THE HEAT
As Ottawa heads into another long, hot, dry spell that will have people seeking relief from the soaring July temperatures, Paula McCooey takes a look at how the city evaluates water quality at beaches.
With city beaches opening and closing throughout the summer, it can make swimmers wonder why the danger levels can fluctuate as fast as the sun rises and sets.
We spoke to the City of Ottawa’s supervisor of safe food and water unit, Blayr Kelly, about what to consider when “no swimming ” signs pop up.
Q We often see daily changes to the “danger” levels of Ottawa beaches. What dangers are posed to those who ignore the warning signs?
A Bacteria and even very microscopic parasites, they are always present in surface water. So, if you are swimming at an elevated level, this can increase someone’s risk of becoming ill with skin, ear, eye nose and throat infections, in addition to any kind of gastrointestinal illness.
Q What do you test for when you take daily samples?
A What we test for is E. coli — that is the bacteria, but we use E. coli as an indicator. So, when there is a high or elevated level of E. coli, that’s usually an indication that other bacterias or pathogens — something that might cause an infection or illness — is also likely to be high.
Q Does the bacteria fluctuates daily? If so, what causes the ongoing change?
A It can even fluctuate hour to hour. The waters are very sensitive and there are a lot of different influences and factors that affect the water.
Q What would those be?
A So you are looking at things like wildlife and birds, rainfall, wind and wave action, recently Britannia ( beach) was high. So simple wind and wave action, what is being brought on surface water, your temperature, your water flow and in some cases even human activity (can affect bacteria levels).
Q What should the public avoid doing ?
A We encourage people to keep their head above water. Any time you put your head under the water, you are going to increase that risk. Especially with children, water goes into the mouth so that’s where sometimes (they get) gastrointestinal illness as well. Anytime someone is experiencing some kind of illness or symptoms they should always go speak to their health care provider. So the messaging we want to get out is it’s important to know what people can do to protect themselves from illnesses.
Q Any other tips?
A After you get out of the water, try to shower off, rinse off, towel dry off, don’t let that water stay on the skin … and lots of reminders about hand washing, especially before we prepare food or we do eat.
For daily beach water sampling results check the city’s website.