Abundant goose poop at Windsor beach leaves parents concerned

Sandpoint Beach in Windsor is the spot to catch some rays, swim in the waves and — despite regular maintenance — step in piles of goose poop. 

"It's in the sand, on the grass, I'm seeing people step in it," said Chad Nelson, who was visiting the beach with his family Friday. 

"It's completely unsanitary."

James Chacko, executive director of Windsor's parks and recreation department, said the city combs the beach with a machine three times a week for poop, rocks and garbage to "make a nice, safe sand environment." 

He said the beach is cleaned on Tuesdays and Fridays, with a third cleaning that depends on the weather or the beach's needs. 

There are no plans to move the geese from the beach. 

"Canada goose is a protected species and we have to learn how to live with our wildlife as best we can," Chacko said.

He warned that people visiting the beach should avoid feeding geese, which can attract more birds and lead to more poop. 

"The goose population becomes sort of fixated at certain locations and then begins to actually swell," he said. 

Beach closures based on bacteria in water

Chacko said the city decides whether to close the beach based on bacteria levels in the water, not on the amount of goose waste on the shore. 

Michael Janisse, communications manager for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, said WECHU is also asking the public not to feed the geese or leave food out after using the beach. 

"Birds and other animals living in our community are part of our natural environment. To this end, animal waste is a naturally occurring source of bacteria which can impact E. coli levels in beach water," he said. 

The health provides information on the bacteria levels in water, including E. coli levels, on its website. 

The most recent testing shows the E. coli level is safe and the beach is open. 

Parents worried about kids getting exposed

But Kyla McPhedran, who was at the beach with her children on Friday, said she was concerned about the amount of feces in the sand where her children were playing. 

"It's really unsanitary, especially with the kids playing around with their toys and then putting their fingers in their mouth," she said. 

McPhedran said she's never seen the beach have so much poop on it, and that the beach was cleaner last summer. 

Chacko said the city has only received one call about the excrement from the public, but said complaints about the cleanliness of the beach can be made to the city's 311 line, which connects residents to municipal information and services. 

"That allows us to make sure that [complaints are] being properly recorded, allows us to address it, allows them to utilize those numbers and those metrics when we go to council."