E.Coli Forces People Out of the Water in Tioweró:ton and Recreation Bay

The Public Safety Division says there are high concentrations of E.coli in the water by the falls in Tioweró:ton. Swimming is not permitted until further notice. And recent water sampling in the Recreation Bay area in Kahnawake has detected elevated levels of E.coli and that beach is closed until further notice.

“We became aware yesterday afternoon that the Environmental Health Officers at KSCS got results of high E.Coli in Tioweró:ton as well as at the beach area in Kahnawake,” Commissioner of Public Safety Lloyd Phillips told K1037 News. “We took immediate action to minimize any risk to the public by restricting and closing access to areas for swimming.”

Testing was conducted at the Onake dock area, those samples were deemed to be acceptable for recreation. They will continue to monitor the water over the next few days.

But Phillips says that since the elevated levels of E.Coli in the water are naturally occurring, it’s simply a waiting game. “There’s not much we can do. Exactly, let nature take its course and hopefully with the flow of the water and over time it will fix itself. We’ll know with more testing over the next few days,” Phillips said.

Signs have been posted closing the Recreation Bay Beach as well as the water in Tioweró:ton.