People looking to cool off at Dundarave Beach will have to find another area to swim in as an advisory has been put into effect.
Vancouver Coastal Health issued the advisory for the West Vancouver beach Wednesday due to elevated levels of E. coli.
Data from the health authority shows a spike in the bacteria at Dundarave Beach. The numbers show 2,187 most probable number (MPN) per 100 millilitres. An advisory will be issued if repeat single sample results exceed 400 E. coli per 100 millilitres.
“There’s a retesting happening today, and so those results might lend to the beach closed to swimming or another approach,” said Dr. Michael Schwandt, medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, on Thursday.
Some of the side effects of high levels of E. coli Schwandt said can be gastrointestinal illness like nausea, vomiting or upset stomach as well as irritation to the skin and eyes.
“Over the last week or so, we’ve actually seen a number with very high levels of E. coli [across the Vancouver Coastal Health region], which is of course a concern for potential illness,” he said.
There are many possible sources of E. coli contamination, including heavy rain, contamination from boats and even animals, Schwandt said.
“Generally, boats are expected to properly pump out waste from their toilets, but in some cases, we do know that boats might just release material from toilets directly into the water,” he said. “Which may not seem like much for a single boat, but given the large number of commercial boats out in the waters, this might lead to some contamination in some of our beach sites.”
“But generally speaking, there’s a few different causes, and we do see higher numbers in the hotter days of the summer,” he added.
An advisory only pertains to the water, so beach goers can still enjoy the surrounding area.
The health authority said Dundarave Beach will be resampled today with results tomorrow. Sandy Cove and Ambleside are both marked for further investigation to test the waters, Schwandt said.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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