The beach at Porcupine Lake has been “posted”, and the Porcupine Health Unit is advising against swimming there.
Public health inspection coordinator Kaitlin McCaw says weekly testing done Monday came up positive for high levels of e-coli bacteria.
“The health concerns for high levels of bacteria in the beach water,” McCaw says, “is that going into the water puts bathers at risk for ear, nose, and throat infections, skin infections or rashes or stomach or gastro-intestinal infections.”
“If you’re boating, as long as you’re not coming in contact with the water, playing in it, swimming in it, drinking it. It’s not something that becomes aerosolized if you’re boating in the water. You have to come in contact with it.”
McCaw says the water will be tested again Wednesday and more often than usual until it comes up negative for the bacteria.