Birch Cove Beach

Managed by Re-imagining Atlantic Harbours in 2050

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Birch Cove Beach is a widely celebrated site that brings people together for numerous occasions. The beach is located mere minutes away from Mic Mac Mall; to get to it, you must exit Micmac Boulevard and head to Crichton Avenue, from there, just turn on to Oakdale Crescent. On-site, there are bicycle racks available for use. Public transportation is also an available and reliable option. Walking from behind MicMac Aquatic Club you can also access the beach shoreline.

Birch Cove Beach is quite popular during the summer months of the year; each day, approximately, 200 people visit it. From July 1 to August 31, there are lifeguards supervising the beach from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on fair weather days only. Beginning in late May until the end of September, washrooms/changing facilities are available for public use from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. In 2013 and 2014, Birch Cove Beach became the first beach in Nova Scotia to be awarded Blue Flag Status (an international eco-label).

Adjoined to the beach is Lake Banook, a lake of great significance. While visitors can come to enjoy a swim, Lake Banook is commonly used for canoeing. In fact, in 1997 and 2009, Lake Banook hosted the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships – Lake Banook is set to host this event again in 2022. Lakefront amenities (washrooms and outdoor showers) have been upgraded to accommodate the visitors of the most recent event. Presently, several aquatic clubs are based on Lake Banook: Banook Canoe Club, Senobe Canoe Club, Micmac Amateur Aquatic Club, North Star Rowing Club.

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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality

Passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 5th, 2021. Re-imagining Atlantic Harbours in 2050 updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on September 5th, 2021 at 1:23 PM.

For water quality icon legend, click:

Current Weather

10°C

Clear

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Halifax Regional Municipality staff monitor Halifax beaches and collects samples at designated beaches weekly from July 1st to August 31st. All designated beaches are tested for E. coli and some saltwater beaches are tested for Enterococci. When bacteria counts exceed the provincial standard, the beach is considered to be unsafe for swimming and warning signs are posted at the beach. When bacteria counts exceed the provincial standard, the municipality also publishes Public Service Announcements on its website and announces the beach closure through social media channels.

Swim Guide checks the Halifax Regional Municipality website daily for updates during the swimming season.

A beach is marked Green when when the geometric mean of 5 samples collected within a 30-day period is below 200 E. coli / 100 ml of water.

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 or when a single sample exceeds 400 E. coli / 100 ml of water. Officials will also close a beach if the Enterococci level reaches 70 counts per 100 ml of water.

Beaches may be retested when counts exceed 200 E.Coli per 100 ml of water. When counts exceed 35 Enterococci per 100 ml beaches are retested every 24-48 hours until levels drop below the accepted levels and closure is considered.

A beach is marked Grey when reliable or up-to-date information is not available.

Water Quality Graph