Water Quality at Ottawa Beaches

The City of Ottawa has four supervised beaches: Britannia, Westboro, Mooney’s Bay and Petrie Island beaches. The beaches are located along the Ottawa and Rideau rivers and are in operation from Saturday, June 20 to Sunday, August 23, 2009. Lifeguards are on duty from noon to 7 pm every day.

How can I find out if swimming is permitted?

• Call the automated Beach Information line seven days a week at 613-580-6744, ext.13219. The automated message will indicate if water quality is acceptable for swimming at each of the four supervised beaches.
• Check for current beach updates as well as the sampling history for the season.
• When at the beach, look for a red or green flag. A red flag indicates that swimming is not advised due to poor water quality. A green flag indicates that water quality is acceptable for swimming.

Please note that daily swimming advisories are updated late morning. Website updates may take longer, so if you’re getting ready to go to the beach, please call the
Beach Information Line at 613-580-6744, ext. 13219 to receive the most current information.

When is water quality suitable for swimming?

Ottawa Public Health samples beach water daily to test for E. coli bacteria.

When high levels of E. coli are detected in beach water, other disease-causing organisms are likely to be present and may pose a risk to your health.

A no-swimming advisory will be issued if bacteria levels are over 200 E. coli per 100 millimetres of water tested or if they are over 100 E. coli per 100 ml of water tested on two or more consecutive days.

24-hour no-swimming advisory

• Issued for Westboro Beach after a rainfall of five millimetres or more