A handful of Vancouver's most popular swimming spots are not suitable for swimming due to high levels of E.coli.
In a tweet on Wednesday (July 13), the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation stated that English Bay, Trout Lake, and Locarno Beach are all temporarily closed due to high levels of E.coli in the water.
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) maintains a map that shows beaches that are not safe for swimming due to the presence of E. coli, a bacterium commonly found in the intestinal tract of animals and humans.
High counts of E. coli in recreational water may increase the chances of gastrointestinal, upper respiratory illnesses, and skin/eye infection.
You shouldn't swim or wade in a place with an advisory until it is removed. Seniors, infants and children and people with weakened immunity are the most susceptible.
Check out the Water Quality Map for E. coli at Vancouver Beaches
VCH's water quality map shows places that are safe for swimming, places that are not "regularly sampled," places that are not suitable for swimming with an advisory in effect, and places where there is no swimming and the beach is closed.
Beaches that are closed are different than ones that have water quality advisories; no one should swim at a closed beach.
