Grey Bruce Public Health has lifted the swim advisory for Northwinds Beach in Craigleith.
They have received test results from a new series of beach water samples that show bacteria levels have returned
to within Ontario Ministry of Health guidelines for safe swimming.
Senior Public Health Manager Chimere Okoronkwo says in a statement, “We would like to thank the residents of the Town of the Blue Mountains and visitors to Northwinds Beach for respecting the advisory. Beaches are posted when bacterial levels in the water could pose a risk to human health.”
Public Health, in consultation with the Town of the Blue Mountains, had posted Northwinds Beach as unsafe for swimming on Thursday, July 10th 2025.
The decision was made after GBPH received lab confirmation that water samples from the beach had bacteria levels exceeding Ontario’s recreational water quality guideline of a maximum of 200 E. coli per 100 millilitres of water.
Public Health says people who swim, play in, or use beach water with high bacteria levels are at an increased risk of getting sick or an infection.
They note, even if a beach is not officially posted as unsafe for swimming, Grey Bruce Public Health advises people to use their best judgment. They advise you to not swim or play in beach water within 48 hours of heavy rainfall, and add you should not swim if the water is so cloudy that you can’t see your feet at waist-deep, or if there is a large number of birds or algae in the water.