Port Stanley Main Beach

Port Stanley, Ontario

Managed by Swim Drink Fish Canada - Great Lakes Guide

Port Stanley Main Beach is a Blue Flag Beach for the 2022 season*.

Port Stanley Main Beach is an urban sand beach enjoyed by thousands every summer. It is situated on Lake Erie's north shore, with beach volleyball, boardwalk, free parking, friendly service, lots to do and everything you need close by. There are superb and historic B&Bs, elegant harbourside inns, fully equipped cottages, cozy retreats and much more. The beach is staffed with lifeguards from late June until early September. A beach wheelchair is available while the lifeguards are on duty and washrooms and change facilities are accessible for people with disabilities. Port Stanley is only 10 minutes from St.Thomas and lies at the mouth of Kettle Creek.

It was once known as the “Coney Island of the Great Lakes” with the beach featuring amusement rides, an outdoor theatre, and a giant water slide. Today you won’t find these things, but Main Beach with its sandy shore is still a popular attraction in Port Stanley. It is also the first beach on Lake Erie to receive the Blue Flag distinction.

*A Blue Flag beach is one that meets strict water quality and safety criteria. These beaches are certified annually as being clean, accessible, eco-friendly, and having great water quality! Swim Drink Fish is the National Operator for Blue Flag in Canada.

For more information, visit www.blueflag.ca

Photo by Sameer Vasta

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Water Quality

Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on August 31st, 2022. Swim Drink Fish Canada - Great Lakes Guide updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on September 1st, 2022 at 12:04 PM.

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Current Weather

28°C

Clear and sunny

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Southwestern Public Health samples beaches weekly from mid June to the end of August. Samples are typically taken on Monday and results are posted 24-48 hours after). When the information is posted online, Swim Drink Fish updates Swim Guide.

As of 2018, Ontario beaches are following the Operational Approaches for Recreational Water Guideline, 2018, and the Recreational Water Protocol, 2018, for geometric mean and single-sample maximum parameters. These are now equivalent to those set out in the Guidelines for Canadian Recreational Water Quality – Third Edition, 2012: Geometric mean concentration (minimum of five samples): below 200 E. coli/100 mL, Single-sample maximum concentration: below 400 E. coli/100 mL. (These values replace the previous, more stringent Ontario standard: a geometric mean of less than 100 E. coli/100 mL.) A beach is marked Green when the geometric mean of 5 samples collected within a 30-day period is below 200 E. coli / 100 ml of water and the single sample value is below 400 E.coli/100 mL. A beach is marked Red when the geometric mean of 5 samples collected within a 30-day period exceeds 200 E. coli / 100 ml of water and/or exceeds the single sample value of 400 E.coli/100mL. A beach is Grey when reliable or up-to-date information is not available. DISCLAIMER: Historical data from 2017 and prior reflect the previous Ontario standard of a geometric mean of below 100 E. coli /100 mL. Historical data from 2018 onward reflect the new Ontario Operational Approaches for Recreational Water Guideline, 2018: Geometric mean concentration below 200 E. coli/ 100 mL and single-sample maximum concentration of below 400 E. coli /100 mL.

Water Quality Graph