Every Friday during swimming season, we post The Beach Report™ — our weekly report of the results of water quality testing at beaches in the greater Kawarthas region — and update it throughout the week as conditions change.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, going to the beach is a different experience this year. Public health officials recommend staying home if you feel sick, visiting a beach close to your home to avoid unnecessary travel, bringing hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes, and maintaining at least two metres of physical distance from other beach goers.
As of Thursday, August 6th, the following beaches have been posted as unsafe for swimming:
- Back Dam Beach in Warsaw in Peterborough County (based on August 4 sample)
- Norwood in Peterborough County (based on August 4 sample)
- Riverview Beach Park in Bobycaygeon (based on July 28 sample)
- Bewdley Optimist Park in Northumberland County (based on July 20 sample)
The following beaches are closed until further notice due to COVID-19:
- Crowe Bridge Park in Trent Hills (Northumberland County)
- Victoria Park in Cobourg (Northumberland County)
- Little Lake in Cramahe (Northumberland County)
- Sandy Bay Beach in Alnwick Haldimand (Northumberland County)
- Hiwartha in Hiawatha First Nation (Peterborough County)
Below are the complete results of water quality testing at beaches in Peterborough, the City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Northumberland County.
In the City of Peterborough, Peterborough Public Health Inspectors sample the beaches at Rogers Cove and Beavermead every business day, and public beaches in the County of Peterborough are sampled at least once a week (except for Chandos Beach, Quarry Bay Beach, and White’s Beach which are sampled at least once in June, July, and August).
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit provides weekly testing results for beaches in the City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Northumberland County. Testing is based on the most recent test results from the provincial lab in Peterborough for water samples taken from these beaches.
Important note
The following test results may not reflect current water quality conditions. Water samples can take one to three days to process and heavy rainfall, high winds or wave activity, large numbers of waterfowl near a beach, or large numbers of swimmers can rapidly change water quality.
You should always check current conditions before deciding to use a beach. You should also monitor other factors that might suggest a beach is unsafe to use, such as floating debris, oil, discoloured water, bad odours, and excessive weed growth.
While we strive to update this story with the current conditions, you should confirm the most recent test results by visiting the local health unit websites at Peterborough Public Health and Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. As noted above, the beaches at Rogers Cove and Beavermead are tested every business day so the results listed below may not be current.
Peterborough City/County
City of Peterborough Beaches (sampled each business day)
Roger’s Cove (131 Maria St, Peterborough) – sample date 5-Aug-2020 – SAFE
Beavermead (2011 Ashburnham Drive, Peterborough) – sample date 5-Aug-2020 – SAFE
Peterborough County Beaches (sampled weekly)
Back Dam Beach (902 Rock Rd., Warsaw, Township of Douro-Dummer) – sample date 4-Aug-2020- UNSAFE
Buckhorn (John Street, Buckhorn) – sample date 28-Jul-2020 – SAFE
Crowe’s Line Beach (240 Crowe’s Line Rd, Harvey) – sample date 28-Jul-2020 – SAFE
Curve Lake Lance Woods Park (Chemong St S, Curve Lake) – sample date 28-Jul-2020 – SAFE
Curve Lake Henry’s Gumming (Whetung St E, Curve Lake) – sample date 28-Jul-2020 – SAFE
Douro (205 Douro Second Line, Douro-Dummer) – sample date 4-Aug-2020 – SAFE
Ennismore (1053 Ennis Road, Ennismore) – sample date 4-Aug-2020 – SAFE
Hiawatha (1 Lakeshore Rd, Hiawatha) – CLOSED for the season
Jones Beach (908 Jones Beach Road, Bridgenorth) – sample date 4-Aug-2020 – SAFE
Lakefield Park (100 Hague Boulevard, Lakefield) – sample date 4-Aug-2020 – SAFE
Norwood (12 Belmont St, Norwood) – sample date 4-Aug-2020- UNSAFE
Sandy Lake (1239 Lakehurst Road, Municipality of Trent Lakes) – sample date 28-Jul-2020 – SAFE
Selwyn (2251 Birch Island Road, Selwyn) – sample date 4-Aug-2020 – SAFE
Squirrel Creek Conservation Area (2445 Wallace Point Rd, South Monaghan) – sample date 29-Jul-2020 – SAFE
Warsaw Caves (289 Caves Rd, Warsaw) – sample date 4-Aug-2020 – SAFE
Peterborough County Beaches (sampled monthly)
Belmont Lake (376 Miles of Memories Road, Belmont) – sample date 16-Jul-2020 – SAFE
Chandos Beach (Hwy 620, North Kawartha) – sample date 16-Jul-2020 – SAFE
Kasshabog Lake (431 Peninsula Road, Methuen) – sample date 16-Jul-2020 – SAFE
Quarry Bay (1986 Northey’s Bay Rd, Woodview) – sample date 16-Jul-2020 – SAFE
White’s Beach (Clearview Drive, Galway) – sample date 23-Jun-2020 – SAFE
City of Kawartha Lakes
Beach Park – Bobcaygeon – sample date July 28 – SAFE
Birch Point – Fenelon Falls – sample date July 27 – SAFE
Blanchards Road Beach – Bexley – sample date July 27 – SAFE
Bond Street – Fenelon Falls – sample date July 27 – SAFE
Burnt River Beach – Somerville – sample date July 27- SAFE
Centennial Beach – Verulam – sample date July 28 – SAFE
Centennial Park West – Eldon – sample date July 27 – SAFE
Burnt River Four Mile Lake – Somerville – sample date July 27 – SAFE
Head Lake – Laxton – sample date July 27 – SAFE
Norland Bathing Area – Laxton – sample date July 27 – SAFE
Omemee Beach – Emily/ Omemee – sample date July 29 – SAFE
Riverview Beach Park – Bobycaygeon – sample date July 28 – UNSAFE
Sturgeon Point Beach – Fenelon Falls – sample date July 6 – SAFE
Valentia Beach (Sandbar Beach) – Valentia – sample date July 28 – SAFE
Verulam Recreational Park – Verulam – sample date July 13 – SAFE
Haliburton County
Bissett Beach – Minden – sample date July 7 – SAFE
Dorsett Parkette – Algonquin Highlands – sample date July 7 – SAFE
Eagle Lake – Dysart et al – sample date July 21 – SAFE
Elvin Johnson Park – Algonquin Highlands – sample date June 22 – SAFE
Forsters Beach – Minden – sample date July 7 – SAFE
Glamor Lake Park – Highland East – sample date July 14 – SAFE
Gooderham Lake – Highland East – sample date July 14 – SAFE
Haliburton Lake South – Dysart et al – sample date July 21 – SAFE
Rotary Head Lake Beach – Dysart et al – sample date July 28 – SAFE
Wilbermere Lake – Highland East – sample date July 14 – SAFE
Horseshoe Lake – Minden – sample date July 7 – SAFE
Rotary Park Lagoon – Minden – sample date July 28 – SAFE
Rotary Park Main – Minden – sample date July 28 – SAFE
Paudash Lake – Highland East – sample date July 14 – SAFE
West Gilford Pine Lake – Dysart et al – sample date July 21 – SAFE
Sand Point – Dysart et al – sample date July 21 – SAFE
Sandy Cove – Dysart et al – sample date July 21 – SAFE
Kashagauigamog Lake (Silver Lake) – Dysart et al – sample date July 14 – SAFE
Twelve Mile Beach – Minden – sample date July 7 – SAFE
Northumberland County
Bewdley Optimist Park – Hamilton – sample date July 20 – UNSAFE
Crowe Bridge Park – Trent Hills – sample date July 29 – CLOSED due to COVID-19
Harwood Waterfront & Dock – Hamilton – sample date July 27 – SAFE
Hastings Waterfront North – Trent Hills – sample date July 29 – SAFE – sample date July 29 – SAFE
Hastings Waterfront South – Trent Hills – sample date July 27 – SAFE
Little Lake – Cramahe – sample date June 22 – CLOSED due to COVID-19
Caldwell Street Beach – Port Hope – sample date July 29 – SAFE
East Beach – Port Hope – sample date July 29 – SAFE
West Beach – Port Hope – sample date July 29 – SAFE
Sandy Bay Beach – Alnwick Haldimand – sample date June 22 – CLOSED due to COVID-19
Victoria Park – Cobourg – CLOSED for summer 2020 due to COVID-19
Wicklow Beach – Alnwick Haldimand – sample date July 27 – SAFE
