Check Before you Splash!
With summer here, York Region Public Health has kicked off the 2025 Beach Water Testing Program which runs until the end of August. During this time, York Region monitors water quality at 14 public beaches in throughout the Region to ensure the water is safe for swimming.
To monitor bacteria in the water, a minimum of five samples are collected, usually twice a week, from each beach and tested for E. coli levels. Beaches are also visually monitored on a routine basis for blue-green algae blooms.
Residents are advised to avoid swimming in beach water when levels of E. coli bacteria could be high (such as after a heavy rainfall) or when there is evidence of a blue-green algae bloom.
Check Before you Splash!
Before entering beach water, residents are encouraged to check water quality results to make an informed decision and avoid illness. There are two ways to check, by either checking the signs posted at the beach or checking online before you go at york.ca/Beaches.
Help Keep Beaches Clean
- Do not feed animals or birds on the beach
- Do not leave your garbage behind when you visit the beach
- Obey local “stoop and scoop” bylaws
- Whenever boating practice pollution-free boating
- Do not go into the water if you have an infection or open wound
- If you live near the beach, make sure your plumbing fixtures are properly connected to your local municipal sewers or private sewage disposal system
- Fence livestock away from streams in farming communities
- Maintain runoff from feedlots and manure piles
For more information about our Beach Water Testing Program visit york.ca/Beaches.
