Planning to hit the beach soon? Make sure you check more than just the weather forecast.
As temperatures approach 30 C across the Metro Vancouver region, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation warns that a Kitsilano beach has been temporarily closed due to high levels of bacteria in the water.
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) maintains a map that shows beaches that are not safe for swimming due to the presence of bacteria such as E. coli, a bacterium commonly found in the intestinal tract of animals and humans.
VCH issued a water quality advisory on July 1 for Hadden Beach, just off Kits Point in the Kitsilano neighbourhood, due to high levels of bacteria in the water, explains the Park Board in a tweet.
People are advised to avoid swimming or wading in water with an advisory until it is removed. Seniors, infants and children, and people with weakened immunity are the most susceptible.
Metro Vancouver beaches are monitored weekly from May to September to ensure that water quality meets the Canadian Recreational Water Quality guidelines, which recommend an E. coli level of no more than 200 bacteria per 100 millilitres of water.
With files from Elana Shepert.
