Montreal's Jean-Doré Beach In Parc Jean-Drapeau Is Closed Due To A Bacterial Contamination
Water samples from Wednesday show poor water quality.
People at Jean-Doré Beach.
Water quality ebbs and flows at Montreal's Jean-Doré Beach in Parc Jean-Drapeau. If you were hoping to get some beach time in before the end of the season, you should definitely look elsewhere. The beach is temporarily off limits due to bacterial contamination and swimming there is prohibited until further notice.
The City of Montreal and the Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MELCC) announced the decision to shut the beach on Thursday, citing "high" levels of bacteria in the water.
"Analysis of the samples taken on August 15 show the bathing waters of the beach did not comply with the bacteriological quality standards established by the Ministry," wrote the MELCC.
It's not the first time this has happened and there's no indication when the beach might reopen.
Polluted water puts children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems at the greatest risk for illness or infection. The most common disease associated with swimming in unsafe water is gastroenteritis, which can cause nausea, vomiting, stomach ache, diarrhea, headache and fever.
Ear, eye, nose and throat infections are also a possibility from contact with water contaminated with bacteria.
MELCC seasonally checks the quality of swimming water at beaches in the Environnement-Plage program, like the Bois-de-l'Île-Bizard and Cap-Saint-Jacques beaches, and posts their bacteria ratings on its website.
You can check the quality of water of those beaches online before planning your next visit.
