Parlee Beach bacteria spike ‘alarming’ to N.B. environment group

People could go back in the water at Parlee Beach, N.B., after a swimming advisory was lifted on Thursday.

From red to green – a Parlee Beach Provincial Park employee switched the no-swim advisory signs to water open late Thursday morning.

No-swimming advisories were in place on Tuesday and Wednesday after tests revealed high bacteria levels.

According to public data on a provincial website, the beach result trends for Parlee Beach in Pointe-du-Chêne, N.B., were particularly high in one section on Monday.

Data revealed a test sample contained 7,270 units of enterococcus per 100 millilitres.

That was well over 7,000 units more for the same date in 2024.

That’s alarming to Arthur Melanson, vice president of the Red Dot Association of Shediac Bay.

“Well the fact is when you look at this, it’s 7,000 units and the standard when they put the no-swim advisory is 70,” said Melanson.

On Wednesday, the community-based environment group released a statement to CTV News regarding Monday’s test result.

“This last spike is alarming; it is so high,” read the statement. “We have not ever seen a count that is this high in all the years we have been monitoring the problem.”

CTV News asked the province to confirm if Monday’s count was accurate and if it was an anomaly but did not receive a reply by deadline.

According to the National Library of Medicine, enterococcus can cause UTIs, bacteremia and infective endocarditis.

It’s not known exactly what caused the high bacteria counts, but animal waste, either wild or domesticated, is believed to be a factor.

Melanson thinks the province should do DNA analysis.

“If it’s human then let’s start looking into areas where that human contamination could come from,” Melanson said.

Parlee Beach often posts a no-swimming advisory the day after a steady rainfall. The advisories don’t mean the beach is closed, but the province warns swimmers not to swallow the water or swim with open sores or wounds.

The province previously told CTV News that swimming in or ingesting water with higher-than-normal bacteria levels doesn’t necessarily mean someone will get sick but it increases the risk beyond what’s considered normal.

The Department of Health lifts advisories when it confirms the water is clean enough for recreational use.

Thursday’s green signs were a relief to Sharla Rivera who brought her family from Washington D.C. to Parlee.

“Today was the one day that was going to make sense in our schedule for us in New Brunswick to come to the beach,” said Rivera. “When I saw the last two days it was saying not safe, I was thinking what am I going to tell my kids? We can’t do it tomorrow. We’re leaving over the weekend.”

Originally from Sussex, N.B., Rivera brought her kids to the beach on Wednesday but encouraged them play in the sand and not the water.

“We were still planning to come, but it does make it easier that I don’t have to tell the kids to be careful around the water,” said Rivera. “They can just play where they want.”

Ewan MacIver from Montreal went in the water on Wednesday when there was a no-swim advisory in place.

“To be honest with you I didn’t know that there was a sign up yesterday saying we couldn’t swim,” said MacIver. “It didn’t seem like anyone had a problem with swimming. But I guess if I was swimming today than I would be relieved.”

Melanson said he hears that locals and tourists always go swimming during no-swim advisories and don’t get sick.

“That’s them, but everybody has got a different immune system and that’s where the difference comes into play,” said Melanson. “You’ve got kids and you’ve got elderly people and you’ve got people with immune diseases. Those are the ones that are more vulnerable.”

Currently, samples are taken in the morning by members of the Shediac Bay Watershed and sent to a Moncton lab. The results are then reported to the Department of Health and a decision is made about a no-swim advisory. The process takes about 24 hours.

Melanson said a test that gives results in an hour would be better.

“The problem is not tomorrow, the problem is today,” said Melanson.

CTV News requested more information on the testing process from the Department of Health on Wednesday and Thursday but are yet to receive a response.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.