Bay Beach unsafe, three Fort Erie public beaches open

Brent Jones
August 23, 2026 at 1:49 PM

One of Fort Erie’s four monitored public beaches is posted unsafe after the latest round of beach water testing.

According to Niagara Region Public Health, Bay Beach is listed as unsafe to swim due to E. coli. The latest posted result for Bay Beach is dated August 20.

Bernard Avenue Beach, Crescent Beach and Waverly Beach are all listed as open for swimming. The latest posted results for those three beaches are dated August 18.

The update marks a change from the previous round of testing, when all four Fort Erie beaches were posted unsafe.

Niagara Region tests public beaches for E. coli between the Victoria Day and Labour Day weekends. Beaches are posted unsafe or closed when water tests show unacceptable levels of E. coli.

The region says beach water testing results are intended as general guidance because conditions can change quickly due to swimmers, wind, waves, birds, recent heavy rainfall or cloudy water.

Swimming in unsafe water can cause ear, eye, nose, throat and skin infections, as well as diarrhea if the water is swallowed.