Guidelines for Canadian Recreational Water Quality

Preface

The increasing use of surface waters in Canada for body contact recreational purposes, and the larger number of industrial and municipal wastewater sources entering surface waters, call for guidelines for recreational water quality. In 1988, the Federal-Provincial Advisory Committee on Environmental and Occupational Health requested the formation of a Working Group to revise the recreational water quality guidelines established in 1983.

In preparing this document, the Working Group has thoroughly reviewed the existing criteria, the current indicators of hygienic quality, water quality data from recreational areas in various parts of Canada, and pertinent epidemiological studies. This review took place between April 1988 and July 1989. Maximum limits for indicator organisms in this document are presented on a per-litre basis to conform to the SI (International System of Units) guidelines. It is hoped that the document will serve as a national guideline and that judicious application by responsible operators and authorities will provide a measure of safety for all Canadians.

Members of the Federal-Provincial Working Group on Recreational Water Quality

• Alberta
  Mr. John Shaw
  Environmental Health Services
  10030-107 Street
  Edmonton, Alberta
  T5J 3E4
• British Columbia
  Dr. Shaun Peck
  Capital Regional District
  524 Yates Street
  P.O. Box 1000
  Victoria, British Columbia
  V8W 2S6
• Manitoba
  Dr. Laila Sekla
  Cadham Provincial Laboratory
  Box 8450,
  750 William Avenue
  Winnipeg, Manitoba
  R3C 3Y1
• New Brunswick
  Mr. Mark Allen
  New Brunswick Department of Health and Community Services
  P.O. Box 6000
  Carleton Place, King Street
  Fredericton, New Brunswick
  E3B 5H1
• Nova Scotia
  Mr. Robert Sumarah
  Victoria General Hospital
  Microbiology Department
  Mackenzie Building
  5788 University Avenue
  Halifax, Nova Scotia
  B3H 1V8
• Ontario
  Mr. Eric Leggatt (Chairperson)
  Ontario Ministry of the Environment
  Hazardous Contaminants Coordination Branch
  135 St. Clair Avenue West
  Toronto, Ontario
  M4V 1P5
• Quebec
  M^me Denise Gouin
  (corresponding member)
  Ministère de l'Environnement
  3900 rue Marly
  Sainte-Foy, Québec
  G1X 4E4
• Saskatchewan
  Mr. Douglas Terry
  Saskatchewan Health
  Box 6500, 105 Crawford Street
  Melfort, Saskatchewan
  S0E 1A0
• Environment Canada
  Dr. Margaret Taylor
  Water Quality Branch
  Environment Canada
  Place Vincent Massey
  Ottawa, Ontario
  K1A 0H3
• Department of National Health and Welfare
  Dr. Richard Tobin
  Environmental Health Directorate
  Tunney's Pasture
  Ottawa, Ontario
  K1A 0L2
  
  Mr. William Robertson (Secretariat)
  Environmental Health Directorate
  Tunney's Pasture
  Ottawa, Ontario
  K1A 0L2

Acknowledgements

The Working Group on Recreational Water Quality wishes to thank the people who willingly provided input, reviews, and comments on this report.

1. Purpose and Scope

Recreational waters refer to those natural waters used not only for primary contact activities, such as swimming, windsurfing, and waterskiing, but also for secondary contact activities, such as boating and fishing. In this document, recreational use is defined as any activity involving the intentional immersion (e.g., swimming) or incidental immersion (e.g., waterskiing) of the body, including the head, in natural waters. Natural water is defined as any marine, estuarine or fresh body of water, as well as any artificially constructed flow-through impoundment using untreated natural waters. Because swimming pools are subject to specific management practices and provincial regulations intended to protect public health (e.g., disinfection and construction standards), they are not covered by this publication.

The guidelines deal with health hazards associated with recreational water use, as well as aesthetic and nuisance conditions. Health hazards associated with direct contact with water include infections transmitted by pathogenic microorganisms, as well as injuries and illness due to physical and chemical properties of the water. The guidelines discuss the indicator organisms - enterococci, Escherichia coli, other fecal coliforms, and coliphages - as well as health risks related to exposure to waterborne pathogenic bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and toxic blue-green algae. Sampling of recreational waters is also addressed. Other sections deal with physical, chemical, and aesthetic characteristics, nuisance organisms, microbiological methods of sampling and analysis, and posting of beaches and other recreational waters.

The limits recommended in this document will be periodically revised or adjusted as new or more significant data become available. They should not be regarded as legally enforceable standards, except when promulgated by the appropriate provincial or federal agency. It is intended that judicious use of these guidelines will result in the provision of safe, attractive recreational waters in all areas of Canada. It is hoped that additional epidemiological studies will be conducted to provide for refinement of the guidelines in the future.