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Running Races
Water Quality and Our Commitment To The Athlete
We believe that it is our responsibility to source race venues with the best possible water quality. We have made every effort to ensure that all of our race venues are safe, challenging and fun, with clean water conditions. To ensure that you are swimming in water that is safe we have arranged to have the water quality tested at each of our race venues. The water will be tested at the Central Ontario Analytical Laboratory. At the same time we also realize that we couldn't necessarily control the water quality all the time so we came up with our Water Quality Guarantee.
Our Water Quality Guarantee
If the water quality is tested above the Provincial Standards of more than 100 EC per 100 millilitres of water you will have two options:
1) While we will recommend that you do not swim, you can choose to race in the triathlon for that day. If you do choose to stay in the Triathlon you will be swimming at your own risk. OR
2) You can choose to compete in a Duathlon on that day (the bike and run distance will be the same as that day's Triathlon with a proper first run added).
If it becomes necessary to cancel the swim entirely because of poor water quality you will be able to switch to the Duathlon and there will be a $5.00 credit granted towards your next MultiSport Canada race.
MultiSport Canada Testing Procedures and Results
We will test all sites at least once the week before each race. For those sites where we know there is the possibility of changing conditions we will test at least twice with one test being conducted on the week of the race. We will also be testing at three locations for longer distance swims such as Parry Sound. These tests will be taken at the start, the middle and the finish of the swim.
Here are the readings taken at each of our venues this summer.
|
2006 Races |
Results of eColi per 100 millilitres of water |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Date Tested 2007 |
Date Tested 2006 |
Date Tested 2005 |
Date Tested 2004 |
|
<10 |
10 |
<10 |
<10 |
|
11 |
29 |
43 |
N/A |
|
<10 |
|
<10 |
10 |
|
<10 July 12, 2007 |
<10 |
<10 |
<10 |
|
<10 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
72 parts August 6, 2007 |
Good August 10, 2006 |
<10 |
<10 |
|
12 parts August 16, 2007 |
24 |
13 |
|
|
<10 |
Excellent
|
|||
<10 |
<10 |
Start - 30, Middle <10 |
<10 |
|
Previous Years Races |
|
|
2005 |
2004 |
Fanshawe Lake |
|
<10 |
<10 |
|
Toronto Waterfront |
|
24 |
13 |
<10 |
|
Parry Sound |
|
<10 |
<10 |
<10 |
|
Collingwood Triathlon |
|
|
Start, Middle and Finish
all <10 |
Start, Middle and Finish all <10 |
For your edification we have added some information on water pollution and testing standards.
What's Polluting Our Beaches
Several sources of water pollution can result in beach postings. These include:
- Runoff from stormwater (heavy rain)
- Overflows from combined sewers that carry both sewage and stormwater
- Excess flows that have bypassed municipal or industrial sewage treatment plants
- Large populations of waterfowl that colonize a beach or surrounding area also contribute to water pollution
In urban areas, stormwater runoff contains bacteria from pet and wildlife feces, illegally connected sanitary sewers and poorly installed basement washrooms.
Beaches in rural areas are usually closed because of bacterial contamination from two sources. One source is domestic septic systems that are poorly maintained and located. The other source can be agricultural activities, particularly livestock operations, if not properly managed.
Bacteria can enter streams through runoff from manure piles and
feedlots, by livestock being allowed access to streams and when
milkhouse washwater is dumped into drainage ditches and streams.
Guidelines For Beach Postings
Ontario beaches are posted with warnings when Escherichia coli (E.coli or EC) bacteria present in the feces of almost all warmblooded animals measure more than 100 EC per 100 millilitres of water. However, based on health risk data, the chances are less than 1.5 per cent that you will contract a disease such as gastrointestinal illness when swimming in waters that contain as much as 200 EC per 100 mL of water.
Generally it's up to the local Medical Officer of Health to judge when a beach should be posted. Beaches are usually reopened when E.coli levels have fallen to an acceptable level of 100 EC per 100 mL for two or three days.