Buelow beach - 2014-15-16-17

Lornie Foran Island gull impact study on Buelow Rd. public beach

Photos, July 13, 2015

How is testing done?

Sampling is done by filling bottles 12" below the surface at 5 locations along the width of the beach. At this beach it means going out to a depth of 3' which the Ontario Ministry of Health considers to be the prime swimming zone across all age groups. The samples were processed at the Renfrew Public Health Laboratory. When the geometric mean (similar to an average) of five separate samples are greater than 100 E. Coli per 100 ml of water on two consecutive occasions within a two day period a sign is posted to indicate the water may be unsafe for swimming. The standard for beach water safety in Ontario is set by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change at 100 E.coli per 100 millilitres of water.

In addition to when water sampling occurs there is also a recording of:

• weather conditions related to wind direction and rain amounts from 3 days prior to the day of monitoring and during the actual sampling day,
• presence of birds and other wildlife,
• number of bathers and
• anything else that may impact the bacteriological quality of the water.such as periods of drought with intermittent storms

2014 monitoring results

2014 data indicates E.coli can be high even in late July and August after the gulls have left the island. The two high readings of 109.86 and 656.72 could be the result of storms washing the remaining bird excrement from the island or the presence of gulls or geese in proximity of the beach at the time of sampling the water.

It was decided to record weather conditions when E.coli was monitored in 2015 and 2016 to determine if there is a connection between the hundreds of gulls on the island and beach E.coli values.

2015 monitoring results

A mix of high quality water readings marked by occasional low quality readings occurred. The low quality water with E.coli near the 800 per 100 ml of water were occasions when there was a strong on-shore wind blowing from Lornie Foran island on a rainy day during the nesting season of June and July. It is generally recommended for all beaches to not swim for 24 hrs following heavy rain, which is especially so with the Buelow beach.

2016 monitoring results

A similar monitoring protocol as in 2015 is being conducted in 2016 to validate the data of 2015.

* represents days with little or no rain two days prior to monitoring and moderate breeze on monitoring day

This year''s monitoring confirms the beach is generally a safe place to swim and that gulls on the island might be a factor for 24 hrs after heavy rain and especially if there’s a strong on-shore wind. This summer’s low E.coli count probably coincides with the small amount of rain. Weekly E.coli results will again be posted here in 2017 for long term comparisons and in case some one wishes to more closely study the relationship between wind and precipitation.

2017 monitoring results

Public safety

There is no doubt that seagulls or other birds can adversely affect water quality through the addition of E. coli bacteria in their droppings.. In June and until the end of July when the nesting season on the island concludes there are an abundant number of seagulls so when wind conditions are blowing from the island directly onto the beach, especially following a rainfall, it is no surprise that E.coli levels will spike as a result. This appears to bear out in the water sampling results. This has public health significance in that when the E.coli geometric mean exceeds the provincial level the beach is posted against swimming until conditions improve. Weekly monitoring means there will be times when the E.coli might be greater than 100 E.coli/100ml of water. On August 7, 2015 a Cautionary Notice was posted describing the weather conditions that might cause an increase in the amount of E.coli.

Cautionary sign produced by Renfrew County Health and posted by BVT on Friday, August 7, 2015

In June 2017, BVT was notified of sign's removal but chose not to reinstall it.

Gull behaviour

Commonly despised as noisy despoilers of picnics, gulls are actually adept communicators, model parents, and fierce defenders of their homeland.

Things to SEE and DO - consider visiting nearby Hurds Creek, Big Rock and Lornie Foran Island

Hurds Creek "Big Rock", A.Y. Jackson 1962

Hurds Creek is well known for its many species of amphibians, especially large snapping turtles, and birds. Other points of interest are Lornie Foran island with its huge gull colony and "Big Rock" with its peregrine falcons and artistic features that renowned artists A.Y. Jackson and Charles Comfort once sketched from the beach area.

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