A section of the beach at Erieau. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza) A section of the beach at Erieau. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Chatham

Don't Swim After A Storm

The Chatham-Kent public health unit has a simple message for beach-goers this summer.

Don't go in the water for at least 24 hours after a windy day or a heavy rainfall.

Public Health Inspector Dai Yong says the health unit's testing results are posted online, but the best way to make sure you don't get sick from the bacteria is to avoid swimming after a storm.

"Basically, bacteria is in the soil and the sand and when it gets all mixed up, that's when you're going to get the high counts," says Yong. "If it's raining really hard... that's when you're going to get the real bacteria load in there."

Yong says the results so far this year have been "really good," but swimmers should still pay close attention to the weather and current conditions at the beach.

You can find the CKPHU's results for nine area beaches by clicking here.

The testing results are updated every Friday during the summer.

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