Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
Sandpoint Beach and Belle River Beach are closed as both sampled E.coli levels of 1000. While swimming is not recommended at Colchester Beach, Holiday Beach, Point Pelee North West Beach, and Seacliff Beach due to E. coli levels above 200. Cedar Beach and Cedar Island Beach remain open and are safe for swimming. The health unit conducts beach water quality monitoring at eight public beaches at least once a week to ensure the bacterial counts in the water are below provincial standards.
Swimming is not recommended at six local beaches and one is closed due to high levels of E. coli. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit says six beaches — Belle River Beach, Colchester Beach, Holiday Beach, Mettawas Beach, Point Pelee and Seacliff Beach — are not currently recommended for swimming due to the presence of the illness-causing bacteria. The beaches are under a warning, meaning the waters are unsafe for swimming, but they remain open.
Beach season is upon us — and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is once again checking the waters to make sure they are safe for recreation. After taking water samples this week for the first time this year at nine beaches across the region, public health inspectors are giving the go-ahead for swimmers and waders to enter the water at all of them: Sand Point Beach, Belle River Beach, Seacliff Park, Colchester Beach, Holiday Beach, Cedar Beach, Cedar Island Beach, Mettawas Beach, and North West Beach at Point Pelee.
