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.
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.
High bacteria can be caused by dogs, birds, wildlife and high temperatures, according to the city.
There’s no timeline for when the closed beaches will reopen.
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