The Northwestern Health Unit is planning to post permanent signs at area beaches to warn swimmers of the potential of bacteria in the waters.
It now issues warnings only after water tests confirms its presence.
But Medical Officer of Health Doctor James Arthurs says the situation often changes by the time it get those results back from a lab in Thunder Bay.
"The potential exposure of the public to high bacterial counts may occur actually before we get the tests back," says Dr. Arthurs, "and because of the run off of our rivers, the water may have actually cleared by the time we get an adverse report and have closed the beach."
Arthurs sees the signage more as a preventative measure than a suggestion to swimmers they enter at their own risk.
