Middle Snake River at Ontario State Rec Park

Ontario, Oregon

Middle Snake River at Ontario State Recreational Park near Ontario, OR. Due to high temperatures, low dissolved oxygen, low biological criteria attainment, and chemical pollutant inputs, portions of the middle Snake River in Idaho have large blooms of algae and support only warm water fish species. Use care in choosing areas for primary water contact recreation.

Ontario State Recreation Site is a day-use park located along the west bank of the Snake River just north of Ontario, Oregon. Green grass, clean grounds, and modern restrooms greet visitors stopping to the boat, fish, swim, or picnic for the day.

Facilities: Parking and Restrooms is available at 0.2 miles in Ontario State Recreation Site.

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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 at least 95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on July 11th, 2022. Snake River Waterkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on July 11th, 2022 at 12:05 PM.

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

There is currently very limited water quality monitoring of Idaho's inland swim sites. The federal Beach Act does not cover freshwater or riverine beaches, and states in the Basin do not monitor Snake River swimming beaches or recreational access sites.

As part of its Water Quality Program, Snake River Waterkeeper monitors water quality at more than 100 sites on the Snake River and its tributaries for temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity/conductivity/total dissolved solids, ammonia, and nitrates. Data are collected at sample sites June-October and assigned safety ratings based on comparison to EPA's Recreational Water Quality Criteria for Human Health:

pH: 5 – 9 µg/L
Salinity/Conductivity/Total Dissolved Solids: 500 mg/L
Nitrates: 10 mg/L

A site is marked Green when single sample results meet all Human Health Criteria.
A site is marked Red when the results are equal to or above Human Health Criteria.
A site is marked Grey when there are no current results or no available information.
Sites found to exceed EPA's Aquatic Health Criteria are noted in site descriptions.

While criteria measured are useful indicators of contamination, there are many other potential sources of pollution that are not reflected in our Swim Guide, including E.coli and other bacteria, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, and pesticides that harm aquatic life.

Download the free app for smartphone and learn about Swim Guide 3.0 at www.theswimguide.org. To learn more about our efforts to protect and restore the Snake River's water quality, visit www.snakeriverwaterkeeper.org.

Water Quality Graph