'Unsettling trend:' Bird poop is dirtying the water at Ottawa beaches
There’s a foul new factor contributing to no-swim advisories at Ottawa beaches this summer.
You could call it a fowl fouling.
Ottawa Public Health measures the water quality at the city’s five supervised beaches every day during the summer. But lately, as the public health unit advised in its usual cheeky way on Twitter, officials have noticed what they’re calling an “unsettling trend.”
“Birds (i.e. animals with wings that can sometimes fly) are leaving poop at our beaches. The poop, being rather unclean, affects the water quality,” the health united tweeter Friday morning. “This, in turn, is contributing to ‘no swimming’ advisories. Which certainly isn't fun for anyone.”
On Friday, no-swim advisories were in place for Westboro Beach and Petrie Island East Bay. The other three beaches—Britannia, Mooney’s Bay and Petrie Island River—had the all-clear.
At Petrie Island East Bay alone, no-swim advisories have been in effect for 10 of the last 14 days. The advisories are issued based on the levels of E.coli in the water.
Ottawa Public Health has two easy suggestions for keeping the water clear of bird feces.
First, they’re asking beachgoers to refrain from feeding the birds.
“This attracts them to the beach, where they will poop. A lot.”
Second, they’re asking people to take garbage with them when they leave.
“Often, after a busy day, the garbage bins are left overflowing. This attracts the birds to the beach.
“It's like Field of Dreams, but with poop. If you leave it, they will come...and they will poop.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.