Bringing back testing to beach ‘no simple task’
After it was revealed that Niagara Region Public Health would no longer be testing for water quality at Waverly Beach, local councillors vowed to get the decision reversed. However, it appears that is easier said than done.
“This is no simple task,” warned Fort Erie’s regional Coun. Sandy Annunziata. “This is going to require a strategic plan, and considerable co-operation from both our federal and provincial partners.”
The root cause of the problem is that heavy algae blooms often wash up at Waverly Beach through the summer months, leading NRPH to describe water testing there as a “forgone conclusion” that it will always come back the same way: A failed water quality test.
Unless the town can find a way to tackle the troublesome algae blooms that plague the beach every year, putting any resources into testing the water quality has been deemed a waste of time. Despite the hardline from NRPH, Annunziata said he will seek to have the testing brought back.
“People are going to continue to utilize that beach, we have picnic tables and a park area, so it makes sense that we keep testing the water quality,” he said. “Myself and the mayor will be bringing this issue to regional council and will continue to push to reinstate testing.”
Niagara Region still monitors 23 other beaches, including four others in Fort Erie. Along with Waverly Beach, three others will no longer be tested for water quality: Belleview Beach in Wainfleet, Jones Beach in St. Catharines and Grimsby Beach.