Every summer, the City of Toronto takes water samples from Toronto’s beaches, including Marie Curtis, and tests them for E. coli. Toronto Public Health uses the results to determine whether the water is suitable for swimming. This helps reduce the risk of water-borne illness among Torontonians.

Toronto Public Health considers a beach suitable for swimming when its E. coli reading is 100 or lower per 100 mL. At Marie Curtis, the reading is 260.

By the way, the Beach Water Sampling Program is a joint effort between Toronto Public Health, Toronto Water, the Toronto Police Marine Unit, and Parks, Forestry & Recreation.

Please remember that beach water quality reports are not a real-time view of current conditions. It can take a day or two for the lab to test a water sample and determine whether the water is suitable for swimming.

It’s generally a good idea to stay out of the water during and after heavy rain, storms or flooding, when bacteria levels can rise. Cloudy water may also be a sign that water quality has declined.