Advertisement

High bacteria levels forces closure of 2 HRM beaches

The clock tower of Halifax City Hall is pictured on Oct. 3, 2018. Alexander Quon/Global News

Two beaches in the Halifax area will be closed to swimming for Canada Day and the near future due to high levels of bacteria in the water.

In a news release Monday morning, the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) said Kinsmen Beach in Lower Sackville and Government Wharf Beach in Musquodoboit Harbour will be closed until further notice.

READ MORE: Sunset Beach closed to swimming due to high E. coli levels

The city says staff regularly test the water quality at all supervised and four unsupervised municipal beaches during the summer months.

“Recent test results indicate bacteria levels at (Kinsemen and Government Wharf) beaches exceed Health Canada swimming guidelines,” the city stated in the release.

Story continues below advertisement

High bacteria can be caused by dogs, birds, wildlife and high temperatures, according to the city.

Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won't miss a trending story.

Get breaking National news

Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won't miss a trending story.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

There’s no timeline for when the closed beaches will reopen.

READ MORE: Beaches, outdoor pools to open on Canada Day across HRM

All beaches and outdoor pools in the HRM are officially open today.

Daily supervision takes place at the beaches and pools throughout the summer, but residents are advised that there’s no weekend supervision at Malay Falls or Kinap Beach.

WATCH: (November, 2017) Number of days Halifax beaches closed increasing

Click to play video: 'Number of days Halifax beaches closed increasing'
Number of days Halifax beaches closed increasing

Sponsored content

AdChoices