Project Summary
Project completed as of September 2018.
Collected baseline water-quality information at three popular swimming locations along Lake Ontario’s northern shore.
Engaged community members to identify threats to recreational water quality.
Commissioned a scientific report to identify sources of contamination and recommend solutions.
Overview
Working alongside community members, the Great Lakes Challenge sampling program monitored the water quality of four recreational access points. The project team worked with a scientist to propose solutions to restore swimmable, drinkable, fishable water in these areas.
In summer 2017, Great Lakes Challenge began monitoring Kingston’s Breakwater Park ahead of the opening of the Gord Edgar Downie Pier.
Great Lakes Challenge identified three other recreational water use areas that are candidates for restoration; Brant Beach in Burlington, a paddling zone in the Toronto Harbour, and Wellington Beach in Prince Edward County. These locations were known to have poor water-quality records, were suspected to have site-specific sources of contamination and serve a community of water users who had been asking for - and not receiving - help to solve the problem.
With the community members, Great Lakes Challenge proposed solutions to restore a swimmable, drinkable, fishable Great Lakes experience.
