Some beaches in New Brunswick have recorded high levels of E. coli and enterococcus as most of the province is under a heat warning, with temperatures in the low 30s but feeling as high as 40C. Oak Bay Provincial Park near St. Stephen’s has been under a no-swimming advisory for more than a week. Parlee Beach and Murray Beach near Moncton are also not suitable for swimming. In southern New Brunswick, Meenan’s Cove Beach in Quispamsis is closed until further notice. Swimming at Parlee Beach is discouraged due to high bacteria levels. (CBC) In a tweet, the town of Quispamsis said the province plans to repeat testing Thursday to decide if the advisory should be lifted. There will be no lifeguard on duty. A warning is issued for provincial beaches when enterococci levels exceed 35 per 100 mL. For Parlee, the enterococci level was at 50 and Murray Beach was at 86. For Oak Bay, the Department of the Environment first instituted a swimming advisory on July 13, where the enterococci level was 36 per 100 mL. On July 15, the level was much higher, at 70 per 100 mL. The Department of Health has closed Meenan’s Cove Beach until further notice. Swimming is not allowed due to high levels of E. coli found during routine water testing. The beach is closed and lifeguards are not on duty. The department plans to reconsider Thursday. pic.twitter.com/ej0EdAUIUL —@Quispamsis According to the department, swimming in water with bacteria levels above the guidelines doesn’t mean people will definitely get sick, but the risk is higher. “Levels can fluctuate throughout the day, so there is always a small risk of exposure. Each person should use the available information to make choices that are comfortable for them,” the department says. No other provincial park beaches have swimming advisories. The department says levels of harmful bacteria can increase based on a variety of factors including sewage, stormwater runoff, animal waste and other swimmers. No new cyanobacteria or blue-green algae from the province so far this year. A list of every water body where cyanobacteria have been found at least once can be found here.
