Mooney's Bay Beach open again for swimming after algae test

Ottawa Public Health says all four monitored public beaches in Ottawa are open for swimming Saturday.

This comes after swimming was not recommended at Mooney's Bay Beach for much of the week because of a possibly harmful blue-green algae bloom.

"On Aug. 4, 2023 the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks testing indicated that the level of toxins associated with blue-green algae present in the water at Mooney’s Bay were within recreational water guidelines. The swimming status has been updated to swim," said OPH Healthy Environments Team program manager Emily Morrison in a statement to CTV News on Saturday.

The beach was closed Monday through Thursday while the health unit and the ministry analyzed the water for harmful toxins.

Morrison said earlier this week that contact with the toxins produced by blue-green can be harmful to people and pets.

"Blue-green algae are a type of bacteria called cyanobacteria that can form large blooms that give water the appearance of blue-green paint, or pea soup. Blue-green algae can produce toxins that can be harmful to people and pets through skin contact or ingestion of impacted water. Drinking water containing cyanobacterial toxins may cause headaches, fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain or diarrhea."

Visitors to Mooney's Bay were happy to see the green flag flying on Saturday.

"He loves the beach," Vicki Tschirhart said, at the beach with her 3-year-old son. "We checked the website before coming and it was clear, so we decided to make a day out of it."

But while it's safe for swimming, some people remain cautious about the water.

"We're encouraging them to keep their faces out of the water and they're being pretty smart about it," one swimmer said.

The other three beaches that OPH monitors, Britannia Beach, Petrie East Bay and Petrie River, were open on Saturday as well. Swimming was not recommended at Britannia Beach on Friday due to higher levels of E. coli bacteria.

Saturday's weather forecast includes plenty of sunshine and a high of 24 C, with a UV index of 7, or high, and ideal air quality.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Jackie Perez

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