Cavendish Beach - Clarke's Pond Outflow

The seawater at Cavendish Beach is not tested for water quality. However, the outflow of fresh water from Clarke's Pond is tested. The outflow is a popular spot for families.

Cavendish Beach is located in PEI National Park and was named by ex-British officer William Winter in honour of Field Marshal Lord Frederick Cavendish, a Colonel of the British army. It has 12 km of hiking and biking trails around the beach, perfect to explore the area and learn from interpretive programs on beach ecology, geology, evolution, wildlife, and archaeology. The beach is equipped with lifeguards from June 27th to September 1st and has a day use park with a large parking area, there are washrooms and a canteen. The east end of the beach has impressive red sandstone cliffs. The main attractions of the Cavendish area are the writer Lucy Maud Montgomery’s childhood home and the famous Green Gables that inspired the 1908 novel, Anne of Green Gables. Montgomery’s home and Green Gables can both be visited. Cavendish is home to the annual Cavendish Beach Music Festival, a summer attraction that draws thousands of visitors.

WATER QUALITY

Met water quality standards less than 60% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on August 1st, 2018. The Swim Guide 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

-5°C

Mostly clear

Report Pollution

MONITORING FREQUENCY

SOURCE INFORMATION

Freshwater tributaries are tested on Tuesdays for E. coli. Results are available on Thursday or Friday.

Coliform bacteria are indicative of mammal and bird waste (e.g. ducks, deer, dogs, humans), which can cause illness and infections to bathers and recreational water users.Parents should take special care to check for advisories as these freshwater outflows are a popular spot for small children to play.

Parks Canada posts an advisory at the outflow if the 30-day geometric mean at the freshwater outflows rises above 200 E. coli / 100 ml of water.

Swim Guide marks a site green when the geometric mean is less than 200 E. coli / 100 ml of water

Swim Guide marks a site red when a geometric mean exceeds 200 E. coli / 100 ml of water

A site is marked grey in Swim Guide when there is no current or reliable water quality information available.

Please note: some estuaries may be anoxic. Information is available on the PEI Environment website: http://www.gov.pe.ca/environment/anoxic-events

Visitors can often find sand dunes at PEI beaches and parks. Dunes are fragile and easily damaged. It can take as few as 10 footsteps through the same area to destroy a marram grass colony. The roots of this protective plant cover act as a net, shaping and containing the sand. Wind blows away at the exposed sand, turning small depressions into giant holes called blowouts. Blowouts turn stable dunes into constantly shifting hills that are unable to support vegetation or wildlife.

Please use the boardwalks and carpeted footpaths at designated beach access points and stay off the dunes to prevent further damage.

WATER QUALITY GRAPH