Beach Report

Beach & Lakes Water Testing

The Niagara County Department of Health tests beaches and bathing areas within Niagara County weekly throughout the summer to determine if the water quality could pose a health risk.  Testing is also performed at several other locations along the Lake to monitor water quality, and that information may be helpful to residents along the Lake, boaters, and the recreational community.Testing Results will determine whether a swimming area will remain "Open" or designated as "Unsafe to Swim" or "Beach Closed".  Results will be posted on this website.  Check back regularly for updates.

Definitions

	Open: Beach is open for swimming.
	Unsafe to Swim*: It is unsafe to swim, but the beach remains open.
	Beach Closed: Beach is closed to the public. No access to the beach, sand, or swimming.

*Beaches are posted unsafe to swim or closed when water tests show unacceptable levels of E. Coli bacteria present. The beach may also be unsafe because of floating debris, oil, excessive weed growth, bad odors and general turbidity. Swimming in these waters could cause infections of the ear, eye, nose throat and skin as well as cause diarrhea if the water is ingested.

Current Beach Status: (Last update: 07/17/2024)  

Check with the beach owner for current conditions.

Lake Ontario Permitted Beaches

Status	Name	Address/Map	Current Weather
	Olcott Beach	6108 Lake Road Olcott, NY	Weather Forecast for Olcott, NY

Lake Ontario beaches may also be closed by the owner due to reasons other than those listed above.

Inland Lake Permitted Beaches

Status	Name	Address/Map	Current Weather
	Hartland Cove Campground	2383 Hartland Rd. Gasport, NY	Weather Forecast for Gasport, NY
	Niagara County Camping Resort	7369 Wheeler Rd. Lockport, NY	Weather Forecast for Lockport, NY

Campground beaches may also be closed by the owner due to reasons other than those listed above. These beaches are part of the camping experience and are restricted to campers.

TESTING ONLY:  Other Lake Ontario water quality surveillance sites (no swimming beaches at these sites)

Status	Name	Address/Map	Current Weather
Testing Only - No Swimming	Camp Kenan	8571 Lower Lake Road Barker, NY	Weather Forecast Barker, NY
Testing Only - No Swimming	Fort Niagara State Park	1 Maintenance Ave Youngstown, NY	Weather Forecast Youngstown
Testing Only - No Swimming	Four Mile Creek State Park	Lake Road Porter, NY	Weather Forecast Youngstown/Porter
Testing Only - No Swimming	Lighthouse Christian Camp	9575 Somerset Dr. Barker, NY	Weather Forecast Barker, NY
Testing Only - No Swimming	Porter On the Lake Town Park	Dietz Road Youngstown, NY	Weather Forecast Youngstown

We are testing for E Coli (Escherichia coli) bacteria once a week at both a shallow depth and a deep depth at each site. The standard for E. coli is 235 E.coli per 100ml of freshwater for a single sample and 126 E.coli per 100ml of freshwater as a logarithmic mean of all samples over a 30-day period. The bathing beach standards are covered in Part 6 of the NYS/Niagara County Sanitary Code and include a whole host of requirements besides water quality. The website for the code is: Health NY Gov

Additional Information (links leave NCDOH website):

Sun Safety: https://health.ny.gov/environmental/tanning/sun_safety.htm

CDC Podcast "Protect Your Skin": http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/downloader/download.mp3?af=a&f=8623906

Unintentional Drowning:  CDC Drowning Prevention

The NYS Department of Health coastal beach water quality information webpage can be used to obtain information about the most recent water quality status of Great Lakes beaches in New York State.