West Vancouver swimmers looking to cool off may want to head to the Tri-Cities, where the local beaches have been given a green light by Fraser Health.
Tri-City beaches - including those at Bedwell Bay, Belcarra Regional Park, Buntzen Lake, Old Orchard Park, Rocky Point Park and White Pine Beach - were all showing "satisfactory" readings on the Fraser Health website.
Earlier this week, Vancouver Coastal Health issued "no swimming" advisories for Ambleside, Dundarave and Sandy Cove beaches in West Van.
Fraser Health spokesperson Tasleem Juma said the authority has implemented a new system that issues beach advisories instead of closures.
"What this beach advisory on the website does is tell you the actual level of coliform so the public can make an informed decision about whether they want to go to that beach or not," Juma said.
The new system went into effect Tuesday afternoon.
Water quality samples are taken weekly at most beaches; a location that exceeds 200 E. coli bacteria per 100 ml would be tagged with an advisory.
This week's testing shows local beaches are well below that national standard, with Belcarra Park (south) showing the highest reading at 39 E. coli bacteria per 100 ml.
To check results, visit www.fraserhealth.ca, click on Recreational Water under the Your Environment tab, then the "beach samples report."
