Sunset Bay Beach on Emma Lake

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The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health monitors freshwater beaches across the province of Saskatchewan. Water samples at this beach are processed by the Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory. Beaches are monitored at varying frequencies for E. Coli and cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) from the end of June to the end of August. There are weekly reports on the beaches’ recreational water quality results posted on the Healthy Beach Program website from July to early September. Water quality is monitored in accordance with the Guidelines for Canadian Recreational Water Quality under Saskatchewan’s Healthy Beach Program. The levels of E. coli are measured using the most probable number methodology. High levels of E. coli can indicate faecal contamination, which poses human health risks for gastrointestinal illnesses, as well as ear, nose, and throat infections. In accordance with the guidelines, a beach is marked green when a single sample result is less than 400 E. coli organisms in 100 milliliters of water or the geometric mean of five samples is less than or equal to 200 E. coli per 100 milliliters of water. A beach is marked red when a single sample results has greater than 400 E. coli per 100 ml of water. The Government of Saskatchewan advises to avoid swimming and in-water activities during water quality advisories. There will be warning signs at the beaches with poor water quality results until the risk to public health is resolved.