High levels of E. coli found in section of Winnipeg’s Seine River

The Wilderness Committee says they have found extreme concentrations of E. coli bacteria in the Seine River.

Recent water quality testing shows high levels of E. coli in one part of Winnipeg’s Seine River.

The Wilderness Committee announced the test results on Thursday, saying the reading of the river at Happyland Park was more than eight times the E. coli limit the province uses to shut down beaches.

The non-profit organization aimed at protecting biological diversity said there is no publicly available water testing on Winnipeg’s rivers, though the province monitors and posts the tests results of more than 50 beaches in Manitoba.

“We undertook this [testing] so that while we’re taking people out on the river that we’re being safe and responsible and that’s how this problem has been highlighted,” said Eric Reder with the Wilderness Committee.

Now the committee is calling for public health warnings and the creation of a city-wide water quality monitoring program.

“The reason I started testing was not because I expected to find a problem, but I was trying to reinforce for people that our water is good to use, we should be using our water for recreation,” Reder said.

“In a warming world, cities around the globe use their rivers to cool down.”

Water quality testing on the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, as well as the Seine River in south Winnipeg, show E. coli levels within Manitoba’s beach guidelines.

The test results are available online.

CTV News has reached out to the City of Winnipeg for more comment.