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Beach Water Quality in Hamilton
Water sampling for the 2022 season to begin late May
Water quality monitoring will begin in late May 2022. Check back for details.
Hamilton Public Health Services monitors the recreational water quality at public beaches each year for levels of E. coli bacteria and Blue-Green Algae (cyanobacteria).
Public Health Services monitors beaches annually from the beginning of June until the end of August.
Beach water quality testing
Public Health services monitors beaches in accordance with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Operational Approaches for Recreational Water Guideline 2018 and the Recreational Water Protocol 2018 under the Ontario Public Health Standards. As outlined in the above protocols, beach samples are collected and tested for E. coli bacteria at least once per week during the swimming season.
Beach sampling results cannot be guaranteed accurate as conditions can change quickly depending on the weather. You should not swim at the beach during and after storms, floods or heavy rainfall. Cloudy water may indicate high levels of bacteria.
For more information on ways to stay safe at the beach, visit the Canadian Red Cross’s website.
To report safety hazards at the beach please call 905-546-2489.
Beach water quality test results
High numbers of E. coli in the water at public beaches indicates contamination with feces and the potential presence of other harmful microorganisms in the water. The provincial standard is 200 E. coli bacteria cells per 100 ml of water or 200 colony forming units per 100 ml.
E. coli concentrations at or above the standard could cause an increased risk of infection. Swimming in these waters could cause infections in ears, eyes, nose, throat and skin as well as cause diarrhea if the water is ingested.
View all water quality test results on Open Hamilton
Find a beach for current water quality test results
To find a beach near you, enter an address into the search box.
When a beach is open
- you should swim with caution
- there are no warning signs posted at the beach
- levels of bacteria were within the acceptable range on the date tested
When a beach is unsafe to swim
- E. coli levels are above acceptable levels
- there is an increased risk of illness or infection due to poor water quality
- warning signs are posted at the beach
Beach locations
- Bayfront Park Beach, 200 Harbour Front Drive, Hamilton
- Beach Boulevard, Beach Boulevard, Hamilton
- Binbrook Conservation Area Beach, 5050 Harrison Road, Binbrook
- Christie Conservation Area Beach, 1000 Highway 5 West, Dundas
- Confederation Beach Park, 680 Van Wagner's Beach Road, Hamilton
- Pier 4 Park Beach, Bay Street North at Leander Drive, Hamilton
- Valens Conservation Area Beach, 1691 Regional Road 97, RR 6, Flamborough
- Van Wagner's Beach, 180 Van Wagner's Beach Road, Hamilton
Beach monitoring reports
Hamilton Public Health Services (PHS) provide an annual update report regarding recreational water quality monitoring at Hamilton’s public beaches and the activities undertaken by stakeholders to improve the water quality at these beaches.
- 2019 Beach Monitoring Report for Hamilton (PDF, 330 KB)
Previous reports
- 2018 Beach Monitoring Report for Hamilton (PDF, 564 KB)
- 2017 Beach Monitoring Report for Hamilton (PDF, 686 KB)
- 2016 Beach Monitoring Report for Hamilton (PDF, 129 KB)
- 2015 Beach Monitoring Report for Hamilton (PDF, 305 KB)
- Board of Health Report to close Bayfront Beach (PDF, 284 KB)
- App A - Letter to PW for beach closure (PDF, 508 KB)
- App B - Letter from PW agreeing to beach closure (PDF, 495 KB)
- App C - PHS Beach Monitoring Report (PDF, 655 KB)
- App D - Bayfront Beach specific research (PDF, 6 MB)
Contact us
For more information, contact:
Phone the Safe Water Hotline: 905-546-2189
Email: [email protected]
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