The Rural Voice, 1992-07, Page 49Water Matters
Our beaches — Why do they close?
Summer is in full swing and a
new swimming season has begun.
Picture this: you pack a lunch and all
the drinks, haul out all the beach toys
and swimming suits and finally
manage to get all the kids in the car.
Finally, you are on your way.
It's hot already and it's only 10
a.m. Sweat is trickling down your
back and the kids are having the third
World War in the back seat but it will
all be worth a whole day of sun, sand
and luxurious swims in that
beautifully blue cool water. It can be
a little frustrating and unnerving to
arrive at a beach and find that it has
been posted with warning signs that
the water may be unsafe for
swimming.
Why is the water unsafe? What
risks do you take if you go for a little
dip anyway? Most likely, the
beaches are posted because the water
contains unacceptably high levels of
bacteria that may increase a bather's
risk of developing a variety of
infections. Most common are eye,
ear, throat and nose infections and
also stomach disorders. Less often,
excessive algae/weed growth or
turbid waters may warrant the
posting.
Generally, a Medical Officer of
Health of the local Health Unit
determines whether a beach site
should be posted. With a beach area
posted due to high bacteria counts, it
will re -open only once bacteria
counts have dropped to acceptable
levels.
A number of different factors
contribute to the pollution found at
beaches. For rural beaches, sewage
treatment by-passes, faulty septic
systems, poor manure management
and milkhouse washwater disposal
and livestock access to watercourses
are the main culprits.
It is fairly common to observe
beach postings after a good
rainstorm. The rain water flushes the
area, collecting bacteria, silt and
other pollutants which flows directly
into nearby rivers and lakes. Storm
events will always act as a flushing
process but the Clean Up Rural
Beaches (CURB) Program has been
established to clean up the rural
sources of pollution that may get to
the beach whether it is through a rain
event or without precipitation's aid.
How can you help?
1. ensure that your septic system is
properly operated and maintained
2. fence livestock from streams
3. ensure that runoff from feedlots
and manure piles is properly
contained
4. reduce household water use in
order to respect capacity problems at
municipal sewage treatment facilities
5. where appropriate, detach
eavestroughs from sewers so they can
discharge on a vegetated, porous
surface
6. properly dispose of milkhouse
washwater
Remember, a lot of little efforts
on your part snowballs into a huge
boost for our greatest resource —
Ontario's freshwater. If there are any
comments or questions on this topic
call 364-1255.0
This is another in a series of articles
by Janette Smiderle of the Saugeen
Valley Conservation Authority,
highlighting information on water
quality in the rural environment.
HURON
AgVise.
BRUCEFIELD
ONTARIO
NOM 1J0
Mervyn J. Erb
Agronomist
Private Practitioner In Agriculture
TELEPHONE: (519) 233-7100
MOBILE: (519) 272-7288
FAX:
519) 233-3444 4
CROP
' II
STRATEGIESir
FAST — COURTEOUS SERVICE
DELIVER YOUR CEREAL CROPS
TO THE MITCHELL CO-OP
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MITCHELL CO-OPERATIVE
Mitchell, Ontario
WITH 3 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU
Country Elevator 348-8522
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JULY 1992 45