City
Phil Villeneuve
Posted on December 01, 2016
Report Inaccuracy
toronto waterfront

Toronto's waterfront has a major E.coli issue

City
Phil Villeneuve
Posted on December 01, 2016
Report Inaccuracy
Latest Videos

The general consensus about swimming in Toronto's harbour is that you just don't do it. And new research has revealed that there are certain areas you should definitely avoid sticking your toes in.

Local environmental non-profit Lake Ontario Waterkeeper recently collected 166 water samples from various spots along Toronto's lakeshore and lab results show there's high levels of E. coli bacteria in at least nine locations.

This map shows the worst spots, all located between Bathurst and the Port Lands.

The likely cause? Apparently it's the city's habit of regularly dumping raw sewage and waste into lake.

According to Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, the sewage problem needs to be addressed - and fast. Thankfully, some major sewage infrastructure projects have already been approved and are scheduled to be completed by 2024.

Lead photo by

Jae Yang
Latest Videos

Latest Videos

Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Traffic around Toronto's Gardiner Expressway is about to get a whole lot worse

Lineups for the ferry from the Toronto Islands are already packed and chaotic

Someone tried to help at scene of Ontario crash and had their car stolen immediately

This race proves whether it's faster to 'ride the loop' on TTC subway or walk

Ontario is home to a second venomous snake species you may not know about

There's a new worst road in Ontario but Toronto's nightmare street is still up there

People are complaining about another feature of Toronto's declining waterfront attraction

Canada Child Benefit increasing soon and you could get nearly $7,800 per kid