Petrie Island’s River Beach was most likely to have unhealthy numbers of E.coli bacteria this summer than other beaches operated by the city of Ottawa.

River Beach in Orleans was found to have E.coli levels deemed unhealthy for 12 days this summer, according to data recorded by Ottawa Public Health.

This also means the city issued more ‘no swim advisories’ for River Beach than any other beach.

Swimming in water contaminated with E.coli can cause rashes, stomach problems, and make cuts and scrapes become infected.

It is difficult to pinpoint why the beach had high bacteria counts, as animal waste, heavy rain, or simply being downstream of Ottawa’s urban centre could all play a factor, said Martha Robinson, program development officer at Ottawa Public Health.

E.coli levels exceeded the recommended level 11 days in 2013, the second highest of all the beaches, Robinson said.

Britannia Bay had the lowest bacterial count of all the beaches, as the beach did not have a single day where the E.coli count was over the federal standard of 200 per 100 ml of water.

E.coli counts were also much lower at East Bay, the other beach on Petrie Island, which recorded at total of five days over the limit.

The city samples the water of all five of its beaches everyday from June 20 until Aug. 16. When the previous day’s E.coli counts exceed 200 per 100 ml of water, the city issues a no swim advisory.

The two biggest threats to a beach’s water quality are rainfall and birds, Robinson said. Bird feces can contaminate the water, while rain can make waste run into into the river.

Not all of Ottawa’s five beaches have mechanisms to prevent birds and waste runoffs due rain from contaminating the water.

“Westboro doesn’t have anything,” she said.

“Petrie Island has tried a variety of things to discourage birds over the years,” she said. Some, like keeping dogs on the beach and spreading foul-smelling fertilizer onto the grass have not scared away the geese at all.

Others have been more effective. The beach got a drone to scare away birds twice a day in 2013, Robertson said.

The city stops monitoring water quality and staffing beaches in mid-August, but three days of high temperatures has led some Orleans residents to let summer go on a little longer, as people were still tanning at River Beach in late September.

Moreen Dodd said she comes to Petrie Island often to read or relax with friends, but she never goes into the water.

“I don’t swim because of the bacteria,” she said. “A friend of mine once got a really bad infection after swimming in the river. It lasted months and just wouldn’t heal.”

Sisters Stacey and Melanie Campbell said they come to the beach about once or twice a week, to go swimming with Stacey’s five and six-year-old.

As long the city has declared the water safe for swimming, Stacey said she loves to splash around with her kids.

“It’s really nice. You can look at the sky, the forests, the Gatineau airport across the river. Sometimes you can see air shows,” she said.

She does take some precautions. Her kids are not allowed in the water if they have a cut or a bug bite, she said. She also wipes their arms, legs and torsos with a towel very thoroughly to prevent swimmer’s itch.