Vancouver Coastal Health has put out a warning for any would-be swimmers in the Trout Lake area to stay away from the water due to high E. coli levels.
According to the Vancouver Park Board, recent testing in the water revealed too high of a presence of E. coli bacteria. The Park Board issued the warning Friday morning.
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Vancouver Coastal Health says high levels of E. coli in the water increase the risk of swimmers developing gastrointestinal illnesses or getting skin and eye irritation.
Trout Lake has been temporarily closed to swimming due to high E.coli levels present in the water. @VCHhealthcare provides daily water quality reports and today’s sample counts exceed the safe level for swimming. Visit https://t.co/VmQj33HdMq for details.
â Vancouver Park Board (@ParkBoard) July 9, 2021
Animal waste, sewer overflow, and other forms of pollutants can be transported through stormwater runoff, which then contaminates areas where people swim, like Trout Lake. Leaking septic tanks and discharge from boats also harm water quality.
Other advisories are currently in effect for the False Creek and Crab Park areas nearby.
This comes at an unfortunate time for people who were hoping to take a swim at Trout Lake this weekend, as temperatures are expected to hit 30ÂșC in Vancouver.
There are still plenty of areas that are open for swimming though, and VCH has a full list here.
With files from Vincent Plana