People are being told not to swim at two busy Halifax-area beaches due to elevated bacteria levels. Nova Scotia Provincial Parks says beachgoers should avoid the water at Rainbow Haven Beach in Cow Bay and Lawrencetown Beach in East Lawrencetown. “Please avoid the water – swimming may cause illness,” says Nova Scotia Provincial Parks in a statement Friday. “Lifeguards will be present and recommending that people do not swim.” Paul D’Eon, special projects director with the Lifesaving Society of Nova Scotia, says the bacteria is called enterococci. He warns it can cause flu-like symptoms, like diarrhea and vomiting, if swallowed. “And in small infants and young people, it can be quite serious,” he adds. “In the quantities that we tested, it’s not acceptable.” While it’s not overly common for ocean beaches to have elevated levels of bacteria, D’Eon says it does happen sometimes. “When we took the samples, there was a big surf, and sometimes it takes the bottom and we get that kind of thing,” he says. “So it could have been an anomaly. The first one that we’ve had to close this summer at our saltwater beaches.” D’Eon says new water samples have been collected. The advisory will remain in place until those test results are back and the water is deemed safe, which means it will likely be in effect all weekend. “We don’t want people to get ill and we’re doing our best as a precaution,” says D’Eon. “We’re hoping by Monday that we should we open, but we have to wait on the test results.” Both beaches are popular swimming spots with both tourists and locals during the summer months, while Lawrencetown is also known for its surfing. The Lifesaving Society of Nova Scotia provides bacteriological water sampling for provincially supervised beaches across the province. The Halifax Regional Municipality also has a beach program that monitors beaches within the municipality. With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Brianne Foley For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
