Windmill Point

Ridgeway, Ontario

This location was monitored by the Lake Erie - Niagara Hub, one of Swim Drink Fish’s recreational water monitoring hubs and was established in collaboration with the Niagara Coastal Community Collaborative. As of 2020, this beach is no longer being monitored.

Located nearby to cozy Windmill Point Park, this beach, is an excellent place to take family and friends to show them the Lake for the first or fortieth time. It is also known as “a Window to Lake Erie”, meaning there is public road allowance to provide access to one of the few stretches of public coastline in Fort Erie. Few people know Windmill Point Beach is public and the Lake Erie - Niagara Hub is sampling there to bring awareness to this fact so more people get access to the water. This also allows the hub to provide information to the people who live in the area and swim at the beach regularly.

This shoreline also provides sufficient habitat for the Fowler’s Toad along the shoreline. The bedrock beach is a unique alvar ecosystem and home to a breeding population of this species, which currently has an endangered status in Ontario.


To access the detailed open data for this location in 2019 visit https://www.recreationalwater.ca/niagara

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
  • No data available

  • Special Status
  • This means the affiliate organization managing a beach has set the beach status based on special local knowledge or information. Check the beach description and the Sources section for details.
For water quality icon legend, click:  
Monitoring Frequency

Windmill Point is not sampled

Source Information

Niagara Coastal staff and volunteers, with support from Swim Drink Fish, monitor recreational water quality along the shorelines of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in Niagara during the summer months. The guidelines followed are the Operational Approaches for Recreational Water Guideline, 2018, set by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. 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, a standard derived from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks’ Provincial Water Quality Objectives.

Water is sampled for E.coli and Total Coliform at all sites. The water is sampled once weekly on Wednesdays from the end of May to early September. Results are available 24 hours after samples are collected, typically on Thursday afternoons. Beaches are posted when the geometric mean of 5 samples collected within a given swimming area and within a 30-day period exceeds 200 E. coli / 100 ml of water or when a single-sample maximum concentration exceeds 400 E. coli / 100 ml of water. Test results are expressed as Most Probable Number (MPN) of E.coli per 100 ml by using the IDEXX Quanti-Tray/2000 MPN Table.

In accordance with Ontario’s provincial recreational water quality standard, a beach is marked Green when geometric mean of 5 samples results are equal or below 200 E.coli / 100 mL water and below the single sample criteria of 400 E.coli/100ml. A beach is marked Red when the geometric mean concentration (minimum of five samples) is above 200 E.coli / 100 mL or above the 400 E.coli/100mL for a single sample. A beach is marked Grey when there are no current results or there is no available information. Results are posted as soon as lab results are available. Results will be communicated through the Swim Guide website and apps. Results are also available by email at info@niagaracoastal.ca.

Read more
Water Quality Graph

Windmill Point

Ridgeway, Ontario

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
  • No data available
  • Special Status
  • This means the affiliate organization managing a beach has set the beach status based on special local knowledge or information. Check the beach description and the Sources section for details.
For water quality icon legend, click:  

This location was monitored by the Lake Erie - Niagara Hub, one of Swim Drink Fish’s recreational water monitoring hubs and was established in collaboration with the Niagara Coastal Community Collaborative. As of 2020, this beach is no longer being monitored.

Located nearby to cozy Windmill Point Park, this beach, is an excellent place to take family and friends to show them the Lake for the first or fortieth time. It is also known as “a Window to Lake Erie”, meaning there is public road allowance to provide access to one of the few stretches of public coastline in Fort Erie. Few people know Windmill Point Beach is public and the Lake Erie - Niagara Hub is sampling there to bring awareness to this fact so more people get access to the water. This also allows the hub to provide information to the people who live in the area and swim at the beach regularly.

This shoreline also provides sufficient habitat for the Fowler’s Toad along the shoreline. The bedrock beach is a unique alvar ecosystem and home to a breeding population of this species, which currently has an endangered status in Ontario.


To access the detailed open data for this location in 2019 visit https://www.recreationalwater.ca/niagara

Monitoring Frequency

Windmill Point is not sampled

Source Information

Niagara Coastal staff and volunteers, with support from Swim Drink Fish, monitor recreational water quality along the shorelines of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in Niagara during the summer months. The guidelines followed are the Operational Approaches for Recreational Water Guideline, 2018, set by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. 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, a standard derived from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks’ Provincial Water Quality Objectives.

Water is sampled for E.coli and Total Coliform at all sites. The water is sampled once weekly on Wednesdays from the end of May to early September. Results are available 24 hours after samples are collected, typically on Thursday afternoons. Beaches are posted when the geometric mean of 5 samples collected within a given swimming area and within a 30-day period exceeds 200 E. coli / 100 ml of water or when a single-sample maximum concentration exceeds 400 E. coli / 100 ml of water. Test results are expressed as Most Probable Number (MPN) of E.coli per 100 ml by using the IDEXX Quanti-Tray/2000 MPN Table.

In accordance with Ontario’s provincial recreational water quality standard, a beach is marked Green when geometric mean of 5 samples results are equal or below 200 E.coli / 100 mL water and below the single sample criteria of 400 E.coli/100ml. A beach is marked Red when the geometric mean concentration (minimum of five samples) is above 200 E.coli / 100 mL or above the 400 E.coli/100mL for a single sample. A beach is marked Grey when there are no current results or there is no available information. Results are posted as soon as lab results are available. Results will be communicated through the Swim Guide website and apps. Results are also available by email at info@niagaracoastal.ca.

Read more
Water Quality Graph

  Beach Location Water Quality
Fort Erie, Ontario
Fort Erie, Ontario
Fort Erie, Ontario
Fort Erie, Ontario
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