Echo Beach

Hastings Highlands, Ontario

Echo Beach has a large sandy public beach that gradually drops off in the water. Papineau lake is a great lake for those who love to fish; local catches include Lake Trout, Bass, and Northern Pike.
Visitors can enjoy tones more activities around Papineau Lake such as going to the local art galleries, museum, or the farmers market.

Get directions to this beach

Water Quality

Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 2nd, 2022. Lake Ontario Waterkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on September 7th, 2022 at 1:27 PM.

For water quality icon legend, click:

View this beach on Great Lakes Guide

Report Pollution

Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health monitors recreational water quality at sites in this region. The sampling season starts mid-May to the end of August. Water samples are collected weekly, bi-weekly or monthly depending on location. Water at all sites is sampled for E. coli and Total coliform at all sites.

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health issues beach advisories when the geometric mean concentration of at least five samples is at least 200 E. coli / 100 mL of water or when a single sample is at least 400 E. coli / 100 mL of water. This guideline comes from Canada’s Guidelines for Canadian Recreational Water Quality (2012). It is applied to beaches in Ontario in accordance with Ontario’s Recreational Water Protocol, 2018. Prior to 2018 beaches in Ontario were posted when the geometric mean of 5 samples collected within a 30-day period exceeded 100 E. coli / 100 mL of water. Results are posted to Swim Guide as soon as lab results are available. They are also available at http://hpepublichealth.ca/home/water-safety

In Swim Guide, a beach is marked Green when the geometric mean of at least 5 samples is below 200 E.coli / 100 mL water and each individual sample concentration are below 400 E.coli / 100 mL.

A beach is marked Red when the results are equal to or above a geometric mean of 200 E.coli / 100 mL water and/or 400 E.coli/100 mL.

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

A Ministry of the Environment Procedure (F-5-5) says that a clean beach is open at least 95% of the swimming season, even if it is near a sewage pipe or combined sewer outfall. This rule applies to every place that is public, accessible, and feels like a good place to swim. When all else fails, the Ontario Environmental Protection Act strongly states that no one can interfere with the use that you can make of a public waterway - like swimming! DISCLAIMER: Historical data from 2017 and prior reflect the previous Ontario standard of a geometric mean of 100 E. coli /100 mL. Historical data from 2018 onward reflect the new Ontario Operational Approaches for Recreational Water Guideline, 2018: Geometric mean concentration 200 E. coli/ 100 mL and single-sample maximum concentration of 400 E. coli /100 mL.

Water Quality Graph