Unsafe for swimming: Rising bacterial counts close 11 of 14 beaches in Ontario region

The summer heat has finally taken its toll on Durham Region’s 14 public beaches, with all but three closed this weekend because of elevated bacteria counts found during weekly testing.

Port Perry’s Kinsmen Beach on the shores of shallow Lake Scugog – which continues to have a Blue-Green Algae Advisory for the other side of the lake near William’s Point Road in Caesarea – was the only beach to get a failing grade last week.

This week, with testing results announced Thursday, Bowmanville Beach West was the only beach on Lake Ontario to earn a pass. The other two beaches declared safe for swimming are Beaverton Beach South and Thorah Centennial Park on Lake Simcoe.

Deemed unfit because or rising e-coli numbers is Lakeview Beach East and West in Oshawa, Frenchman’s Bay East and West in Pickering, Whitby Beach and Iroquois Beach in Whitby, Bowmanville Beach East and Newcastle Beach Central in Clarington and Paradise Beach in Ajax – all on Lake Ontario – as well as Beaverton Beach North on Lake Simcoe and Kinsmen Beach on Lake Scugog.

Throughout the summer, from the first week of June to the end of August, the region’s Health Department tests the waters at public beaches as part of its beach monitoring program. Tests carried out at all Durham beaches include testing water samples for high levels of bacteria to let visitors know which beaches are safe for swimming.