The City of Penticton, in conjunction with Interior Health, has issued a water advisory for a section Okanagan Beach between the S.S. Sicamous and Power Street after a sample test identified higher-than-normal levels of E.coli bacteria.
Signs have been posted on-site stating that the water quality is poor and swimming is not recommended at that location at this time.
A Swimming Advisory is a notice to swimmers that bacterial levels (E. coli) are currently higher than those allowed in Health Canada’s Guidelines for Canadian Recreational Water Quality. This test found 1,500 colony-forming units of E. coli per 100 ml sample, which is above the maximum allowable number of 400 per 100 ml sample.
Once Interior Health determines that bacteria levels have returned to acceptable levels, the City will notify the public that the advisory has been lifted and the signage will be removed.