The waters of Lake Erie are seen along the beach in Erieau on August 24, 2014. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)The waters of Lake Erie are seen along the beach in Erieau on August 24, 2014. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Chatham

Blue Flag Elusive For Erieau

More upgrades are on the way at Erieau Beach as Chatham-Kent continues to work towards achieving Blue Flag status there.

Erieau facility supervisor Chris Kirkwood says the beach has come a long way, but there's still more work to do.

"Right now we need to pass the water quality test, put in a pay phone so that anyone can make a 911 call, and then it's just signage," says Kirkwood, adding the algae blooms in Lake Erie aren't the only challenge they face when it comes to water quality. "When we get heavy rainfall, we get inland water that drains down into the lake and that can really affect the readings we get."

Kirkwood doesn't have a firm timeline for when the final upgrades will be going in at the beach, but says the sooner the better.

The municipality has been trying to get "Blue Flag" designation since 2013.

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