Nobody has so far reported any illness in connection with elevated E coli levels at a Yellowknife beach, the NWT government said late on Thursday.
Earlier that day, signs appeared at Fred Henne Territorial Park’s beach – on Long Lake – urging people not to swim in the water.
NWT Parks said routine testing had detected elevated E coli levels and follow-up tests were under way. Other areas of the lake were not affected, the territorial parks agency said.
In a fresh statement issued late in the evening, the territorial government added “shoreline play” to the list of things people shouldn’t do while the testing is carried out, alongside swimming and wading.
“Routine monitoring recently identified elevated levels of bacteria, including E coli. Additional testing is being conducted to confirm those results and determine whether levels exceed established Health Canada Guidelines for Canadian recreational water quality,” the territory stated.
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“E coli is commonly found in the natural environment at low levels. The purpose of testing is to confirm whether those levels are higher than what is considered safe for activities like swimming or wading.
“At this time, the restriction is precautionary. There have been no reports of illness due to exposure to beach water. Visitors to the park are advised not to swim or wade in the water until further notice, and to avoid drinking untreated lake water.”
The territory said it will publish an update when testing results are available “in the coming days.”
