Georgian Bay’s Stewart Lake Beach is the only swimming area in Muskoka currently under a swimming advisory.
Officials with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) say the beaches are not closed but anyone going for a swim risks developing minor skin, eye, ear, nose, or throat infections or stomach illness. They add to not go underwater or swallow water if going for a dip.
It was put in place on July 11.
Meanwhile, for the first time in close to two weeks, the advisory at Franklin Park Beach in Gravenhurst has been removed.
Water samples from every beach in SMDHU’s medical region are taken on a weekly basis between June 19 and Sept. 4. The water samples are tested for E. coli bacteria and a swimming advisory may be put in place if the bacteria levels are above 200 E. coli per 100 mL of water.
According to officials, that’s based set by the recreational water quality guideline.
Officials say other reasons a beach could be considered unsafe include: excessive weed growth, oil, floating debris, turbidity, and blue-green algae blooms.