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Public Health Stops Bacteria Testing in Grand River Conservation Authority

Wednesday, 31 May 2017 05:56

Focus is shifting to public education and awareness as public health units stop testing for bacteria in the GRCA.

Regular water quality testing is a thing of the past for beaches in the Grand River Conservation Authority.

Public Health units for Brant County, the Waterloo Region, and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph recommended moving away from the weekly bacteria testing as the results it garnered could be out of date before even leaving the lab according to Manager of Communications for the Conservation Authority Lisa Stocco.

"So what happens when they test water quality is it's tested usually on a Monday and we usually don't see those results until Wednesday. Water quality is very dynamic - it can change not just day to day, but hour to hour."

The focus now shifts to public education and awareness. The hope is that by imbuing the public with the right knowledge to recognize poor water quality instantaneously people can learn to protect themselves more effectively on a case by case basis.

"I think the perception could be that the beaches are less safe," Stocco says. "But I would actually say if we are providing timely information and if we're helping people understand the conditions they should be looking for, we're actually looking to improve safety."

Permanent signs will be installed to help provide examples of what to look for when it comes to water quality assessment.

The Grand River Conservation Authority covers Pinehurst Lake near Paris along with several other creeks and lakes.

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