City staff looking at ways to extend Ottawa beach season

City Coun. Diane Deans has asked city staff to come up with options to potentially extend the supervised swimming season at the city's five beaches.

"I think that Ottawa summers are short enough without artificially shortening them, so we asked city staff to look at potential options for extending that season," Deans said Friday.

She made the request at a Thursday community and protective services committee meeting.

The city's beach season currently begins on the third weekend of June and ends on the third weekend of August. The season was established prior to the city's amalgamation in 2001.

During the season lifeguards supervise the beaches during the dayand water quality testing is done daily to monitor E. coli levels.

This year, the beach season happened to end on the first day of a five-day heat wave that saw temperatures reach above 30 C, feeling like 40 with the humidity.

Residents can still use the city's beachesbut must do so at their own risk without supervision and water quality testing.

City staff told Deansthe estimated cost of extending the 2015 beach season was about$100,000.

"It's too late for this year," Deans said, "but I think for next year we can consider options."

Some of those options include providing water quality testing and supervision on weekends, finding sponsors to coverthe cost, staggering the opening and closing of the city's five beachesand more, Deans said.

Poll question

On mobile? Vote here on whether the city should extend the beach season or not.