Camp Onakawana - Onakawana River Beach

Source Information

The Onakawana River is a wilderness river that is part of the James Bay lowlands in northern Ontario. This is the traditional home of the Cree, as well as important habitat for fish and wildlife such as moose, beaver, wolves and marten. Water quality testing is conducted by members of the Onakawana Education Fund and students who attend Camp Onakawana in collaboration with Swim Drink Fish Canada. The goal of the testing is to teach students about how to become a citizen scientist. The standards followed are Ontario’s Provincial Water Quality Objectives, set by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change at 100 E.coli per 100 millilitres of water. Water is sampled for E. coli and Total coliform at all sites. The frequency of the testing is currently TBD as this testing operation is still in the BETA phase. Test results are expressed as Most Probable Number (MPN) of E.coli per 100 ml by using the IDEXX Quanti-Tray/2000 MPN Table. A beach is marked Green when geometric mean of 5 samples results are equal or below 100 E.coli / 100 ML water. The testing takes place along the Onakawana River where it meets the Abitibi River, at Camp Onakawana. This is a wilderness area with seasonal fluctuations. The shoreline of the Onakawana River is primarily sand and river stone. There is no defined beach, no parking and no bathrooms near by. A beach is marked Red when the geometric mean concentration (minimum of five samples) is equal to or above 100 E.coli / 100 ML water, according to Ontario’s water quality guidelines. A beach is marked Grey when there are no current results or there is no available information. Results are posted as soon as lab results are available. Results will be communicated through the Swim Guide websites and apps. If you have any questions regarding the testing of the Onakawana River please email onakawanaeducationfund@gmail.com for more information.