The territorial government says water testing is underway after recent findings of bacteria, including E. coli detected at Fred Henne Territorial Park.
Public swimming, wading and shoreline play at the main beach area have been temporarily restricted in the meantime.
“Routine monitoring recently identified elevated levels of bacteria, including E. coli. Additional testing is being conducted to confirm those results and determine whether levels exceed established Health Canada Guidelines for Canadian recreational water quality,” read a message issued by territorial officials.
They said while E. coli can be naturally occurring in the environment at low levels, testing is aimed at assessing if the levels are higher than what is considered safe for activities like swimming or wading.
“At this time, the restriction is precautionary. There have been no reports of illness due to exposure to beach water.”
The public is being advised not to swim or wade in the water at this time, and to avoid drinking untreated lake water.
Territorial officials said while the playground remains open for public use at this time, restrictions could change with more testing underway.
“We will continue to test bacteria levels at the beach and may re-evaluate access restrictions to protect public safety.”
While the boat launch area has reportedly not been impacted by the bacteria, officials advised against public use of the boat launch area due to boating and motorized watercraft activity.
Territorial officials said that more public updates will be made available as testing results become available in the coming days.
They added that routine water quality testing at Prelude Lake Territorial Park and Reid Lake Territorial Park had confirmed that bacteria levels remained within safe limits.
North Now has reached out for more information and will share those details when they become available.
