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Montrealers dealing with what seems to be a perpetual heatwave won’t be able to find any relief for the foreseeable future at Jean-Doré Beach.
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The beach on Île-Notre-Dame in Jean-Drapeau Park has been closed until further notice because of a high bacteria count.
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In a statement issued Wednesday evening, the Quebec Environment Ministry said the beach had been shut down because of “high bacteriological contamination.”
The shutdown follows water testing conducted July 17 that found “this beach was not in conformity with the norms … established by the ministry.”
Swimming in contaminated water can cause problems from skin rashes to gastrointestinal and respiratory issues.
As a result, “the population must not frequent (the beach) for the purpose of swimming so long as an announcement to the contrary has not been issued by the ministry.”
Jean-Drapeau Park officials will hold a press conference Thursday to showcase the park’s summer activities.
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What’s in the water? A breakdown of some of the pollutants around Montreal
Quebec sees more tornadoes as extreme weather intensifies
Popular northeast U.S. beaches closed
Many sunbathers who want to take a dip in the cool water to escape the summer heat are being thwarted by high bacteria levels in water at popular beaches across New England.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported that 78 public beaches were closed Wednesday, mostly because of high levels bacteria. Nearly a dozen beaches and bodies of water in New Hampshire were also under some sort of advisory. In Maine, eight beaches were closed because of contamination. There was no swimming at 10 state parks in Vermont.
Most of the closures were because of high levels of E. coli associated with waste. Others were for algae blooms, some of which can be toxic.
Some of the high levels of bacteria in lakes and ponds can be linked to heavy rainfall that caused flooding and contamination, including agricultural runoff. That’s also contributing to problems in coastal waters.
