Swimming advisories issued for Sudbury, Manitoulin beaches

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Swimming advisories issued by Public Health Sudbury & Districts on Thursday for Maintenance Beach on Ramsey Lake in Sudbury and South Baymouth Beach on Manitoulin Island have been lifted.

Maintenance Beach is located between Main Beach and the Splash N' Go at Ramsey Lake, the city told CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca in an email.

The reason behind the advisories was testing showed higher than acceptable E. coli bacteria levels at both beaches, the health unit said in a news release.

"Public Health Sudbury & Districts has posted swimming advisory signs to inform the public that the beach water quality is not suitable for recreational use at this time,” the release said.

"A swimming advisory is a precautionary notice that informs the public about specific risks to health and safety."

The health unit’s Cindy Rocca said there is a higher risk of infections for anyone who tries to swim at the beaches.

"Illness can occur if swimmers swallow beach water, if water gets into their ears, eyes, or nose, or if it comes in contact with open wounds," Rocca said in the news release.

More samples will be taken daily from each beach until bacterial levels return to safe numbers, the health unit said.

For information about beach water quality, visit Public Health’s beach water testing results website.