Water advisory posted for beach on Okanagan Lake in Penticton

The City of Penticton is warning swimmers about high bacterial counts on an Okanagan Lake beach.

The City issued the water advisory yesterday, May 26, after a water test on May 18 revealed higher than normal E.coli bacteria counts in the water at Okanagan Lake Marina Way beach.

The test found 890 colony-forming units of E.coli per 100 millimetres, which is 490 higher than the acceptable amount. The count was confirmed in a retest on May 22.

Authorities don’t believe anyone will become sick, but are asking swimmers to take precautions as the possibility of illness increases with higher bacteria counts.

Swimmers should avoid swallowing lake water and wash their hands before handling food, the City said. Don’t go swimming with an open cut, or if ill.

The City said strong northern winds or high lake levels could exacerbate bacterial conditions in the water and swimmers should avoid the water under these conditions.

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