Manitoba Water Stewardship advises, during the fall period, testing of beaches still continues, but on a more limited frequency relative to the summer months. During this reporting period, testing has shown that levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) were within recreational water quality guidelines at West Grand Beach and were above the guideline at Gimli Beach on Sept. 15. Gimli Beach is being re-sampled today and results should be available late in the day tomorrow, Sept. 19. Results will be posted as soon as they become available on Water Stewardship’s website.
On Lake Winnipeg, weather and lake level information appear to be good predictors of E. coli levels. Bacteria counts tend to increase when strong northerly winds cause water levels to temporarily increase and large waves wash bacteria out of beach sand. When calmer weather returns, E. coli bacteria levels typically fall quickly to below guideline levels.
No blue-green algae blooms were reported this week.
Algae blooms often appear in Manitoba lakes at this time of the year and can last until mid‑September. The formation of algae blooms is difficult to predict. However, warm and calm weather coupled with relatively high nutrient loads create ideal conditions for their development. Swimmers are reminded to avoid swimming in water if severe algae blooms are visible.
Normally, Manitoba Water Stewardship does not issue beach condition reports after Labour Day. This report is being issued because of the unusually warm weather of this past week. It is not expected that any further reports will be issued after this.
