Information for owners and operators of public beaches

Public beaches include any public bathing area owned/operated by a municipality to which the general public has access, and where there is reason to believe that there is recreational use of the water (for example beach signage, sectioned off swimming area, water safety/rescue equipment, lifeguard chairs, etc.), which may result in waterborne illness or injury as determined by the local medical officer of health.

Public Health Sudbury & Districts:

• maintains an inventory of public beaches
• maintains an inventory of recreational camp waterfront areas
• maintains an inventory of public beach areas within provincial parks; however, the Board of Health is not responsible for the monitoring or management of these beaches. These beaches are the responsibility of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in consultation with Public Health Sudbury & Districts

In accordance with the Ministry of Health’s Operational Approaches for Recreational Water Guideline, 2018, Public Health Sudbury & Districts will:

• assess all public beaches annually, including an environmental survey and a review of historical and epidemiological data
• conduct routine beach surveillance of all public beaches to monitor the safety of public bathing areas and to establish strategies for the management of health hazards
• test public beach water quality at a frequency that is informed by pre-season assessment and historical data from the previous bathing season
• • public beaches with good water quality from the previous bathing season and the pre-season assessment are routinely inspected and sampled at least once a month during the period of operation or use
  • public beaches for which historical data indicates the water quality was not within the required threshold for the previous bathing season are inspected and sampled at least once a week during the period of operation or use
• provide ongoing communication of test results and recommended actions to public beach owners or operators
• communicate information on the status of public beaches including beach postings and promotion of strategies to prevent illness and injury to the public
• respond to complaints and reports of adverse events related to recreational water use at public beaches within 24 hours of notification
• liaise with owners/operators of new public beaches and recreational camps with a waterfront area to be used for aquatic activities to make them aware of applicable regulatory requirements and best operational practices
• publicly disclose the status of public beach water quality on a weekly basis at a minimum, during the operating season
• assess and routinely inspect waterfronts used for aquatic activities at recreational camps in order to minimize the risks to the health and safety of the users

This item was last modified on May 29, 2020