Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park Beaches

Lac la Biche, Alberta
Managed by North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper
Water Quality Advisory issued for Camper’s Beach on Aug. 10, 2018. Click for more info.

The beaches of Sir Winston Churchill are located on Alberta's only island park. The beaches are sandy and wide with shallow waters and sand bars in the swimming area. There is a day use beach and a campers' beach. Both have the necessary amenities for a day or two at the beach and the shallow waters, sand, and playgrounds make them ideal for families.

Lac La Biche (Doe in english) water quality can vary and the water can become quite abundant with algae in the Summer months. Other beaches in the area around the Town of Lac la Biche such as McCarthur Beach have been posted in the past. There are alot of other beaches east of Lac La Biche where water quality is more consistent like Cold Lake or North to Lesser Slave Lake. Photo credit to Jonathan Kim from Panoramio.

WATER QUALITY
  • Failed to meet water quality standards
  • Special Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 7th, 2016. North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at
For water quality icon legend, click:   
CURRENT WEATHER
-16°C
Cloudy
  • Report Pollution
MONITORING FREQUENCY

Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park Beaches is sampled weekly from May 30th to August 30th

SOURCE INFORMATION

Alberta Health Services (AHS) monitors 46 freshwater beaches across the province. AHS monitors the province’s five zones: Calgary, Central, Edmonton, North, and South. Water samples are collected and processed by summer students hired by AHS each season.

AHS monitors public beaches from approximately June 1 (weather permitting) to September (around Labour Day weekend). Most sites are monitored on a weekly basis, though some sites are monitored less frequently.

Water quality testing done by AHS is based on standards outlined in the General Nuisance and Sanitation Regulation, under Alberta’s Public Health Act. AHS tests for fecal coliform and blue-green algae (cyanobacteria).

Faecal Contamination

Under the guidelines put forth by AHS, no person shall operate or permit the operation of a beach or constructed beach unless the water quality in the swimming or bathing area meets the following standards:

Two consecutive values at < /400 CFU/100 mL
AND
A geometric mean < /= 200 CFU/100 mL over a 30-day period

Where the water quality in swimming/bathing areas of a beach or constructed beach does not comply with these standards, an executive officer may erect a notice or require the owner or operator to erect a notice to the effect that the beach or constructed beach is unfit for swimming or bathing.

If a beach does not meet the standards, a Contaminated Water Health Advisory is issued. Signs are posted at the recreational site and an advisory is posted on the AHS website (http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/1926.asp). They are also communicated through the Swim Guide app and website and sent out to all local-area media surrounding a lake, as well as tweeted by AHS. Health advisories are rescinded when the above standards are met.

Cyanobacteria

Recreational water bodies and associated recreational sites are monitored by AHS EHOs and Practicum students for cyanobacteria. AHS personnel completes visual inspections of the lakes and also collects water samples for lab testing. For more information on cyanobacteria, AHS has developed an FAQ: http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/news/advisories/ne-pha-bga-faq-2015.pdf.

AHS issues Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria) Advisories when blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms are identified, as that presence can pose a risk to human health.
Advisories are posted online to www.albertahealthservices.ca/1926.asp. These advisories are sent out to local-area media surrounding a lake, tweeted by AHS and communicated through the Swim Guide app and website. When a bloom is identified, related signage is posted around the entire water body (public beaches, access points, campgrounds, etc). These advisories remain in place for the duration that the health risk persists.

Monitoring Status

A beach is marked Green when two consecutive single sample results are under 400 CFU/100 mL AND the geometric mean (average of 5 samples) is less than 200 CFU/100 mL over a 30-day period.

A beach is marked Red when two consecutive single sample results are equal to or above 400 CFU/100 mL AND the geometric mean (average of 5 samples) are equal to or greater than 200 CFU/100 mL over a 30-day period.

A beach is marked Grey if there is no current results or no available information.

WATER QUALITY GRAPH

Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park Beaches

Lac la Biche, Alberta
Managed by North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper
WATER QUALITY
  • Failed to meet water quality standards
  • Special Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 7th, 2016. North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at
For water quality icon legend, click:   
CURRENT WEATHER
-16°C
Cloudy
Water Quality Advisory issued for Camper’s Beach on Aug. 10, 2018. Click for more info.

The beaches of Sir Winston Churchill are located on Alberta's only island park. The beaches are sandy and wide with shallow waters and sand bars in the swimming area. There is a day use beach and a campers' beach. Both have the necessary amenities for a day or two at the beach and the shallow waters, sand, and playgrounds make them ideal for families.

Lac La Biche (Doe in english) water quality can vary and the water can become quite abundant with algae in the Summer months. Other beaches in the area around the Town of Lac la Biche such as McCarthur Beach have been posted in the past. There are alot of other beaches east of Lac La Biche where water quality is more consistent like Cold Lake or North to Lesser Slave Lake. Photo credit to Jonathan Kim from Panoramio.

  • Report Pollution
MONITORING FREQUENCY

Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park Beaches is sampled weekly from May 30th to August 30th

SOURCE INFORMATION

Alberta Health Services (AHS) monitors 46 freshwater beaches across the province. AHS monitors the province’s five zones: Calgary, Central, Edmonton, North, and South. Water samples are collected and processed by summer students hired by AHS each season.

AHS monitors public beaches from approximately June 1 (weather permitting) to September (around Labour Day weekend). Most sites are monitored on a weekly basis, though some sites are monitored less frequently.

Water quality testing done by AHS is based on standards outlined in the General Nuisance and Sanitation Regulation, under Alberta’s Public Health Act. AHS tests for fecal coliform and blue-green algae (cyanobacteria).

Faecal Contamination

Under the guidelines put forth by AHS, no person shall operate or permit the operation of a beach or constructed beach unless the water quality in the swimming or bathing area meets the following standards:

Two consecutive values at < /400 CFU/100 mL
AND
A geometric mean < /= 200 CFU/100 mL over a 30-day period

Where the water quality in swimming/bathing areas of a beach or constructed beach does not comply with these standards, an executive officer may erect a notice or require the owner or operator to erect a notice to the effect that the beach or constructed beach is unfit for swimming or bathing.

If a beach does not meet the standards, a Contaminated Water Health Advisory is issued. Signs are posted at the recreational site and an advisory is posted on the AHS website (http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/1926.asp). They are also communicated through the Swim Guide app and website and sent out to all local-area media surrounding a lake, as well as tweeted by AHS. Health advisories are rescinded when the above standards are met.

Cyanobacteria

Recreational water bodies and associated recreational sites are monitored by AHS EHOs and Practicum students for cyanobacteria. AHS personnel completes visual inspections of the lakes and also collects water samples for lab testing. For more information on cyanobacteria, AHS has developed an FAQ: http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/news/advisories/ne-pha-bga-faq-2015.pdf.

AHS issues Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria) Advisories when blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms are identified, as that presence can pose a risk to human health.
Advisories are posted online to www.albertahealthservices.ca/1926.asp. These advisories are sent out to local-area media surrounding a lake, tweeted by AHS and communicated through the Swim Guide app and website. When a bloom is identified, related signage is posted around the entire water body (public beaches, access points, campgrounds, etc). These advisories remain in place for the duration that the health risk persists.

Monitoring Status

A beach is marked Green when two consecutive single sample results are under 400 CFU/100 mL AND the geometric mean (average of 5 samples) is less than 200 CFU/100 mL over a 30-day period.

A beach is marked Red when two consecutive single sample results are equal to or above 400 CFU/100 mL AND the geometric mean (average of 5 samples) are equal to or greater than 200 CFU/100 mL over a 30-day period.

A beach is marked Grey if there is no current results or no available information.

WATER QUALITY GRAPH



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