High E. coli counts detected at 3 West Vancouver beaches
E. coli counts above 200 per 100 mL, which is considered the upper-limit for safe recreational use
Health officials are warning people against swimming at three West Vancouver beaches after routine water quality sampling turned up E.coli bacteria counts exceeding safe-level limits.
“No Swimming” advisories are now in effect for Ambleside, Dundarave and Sandy Cove beaches.
Health officials say the relatively high concentration of E.coli bacteria detected can increase a swimmer's risk of coming down with gastro-intestinal illness.
E.coli is considered to be an indicator organism associated with fecal contamination from either human or animal
sources.
Vancouver Coastal Health says it is investigating the cause of the elevated bacteria count.
E. coli counts for the Vancouver-area beaches are updated every Friday, based on sampling results provided by the Greater Vancouver Regional District Water Quality Laboratory.
Click here to be taken to the weekly beach water quality reports.