Cavendish Beach - MacNeill's Brook

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Parks Canada conducts weekly testing in several fresh-water tributaries on popular national park beaches. These beaches have lifeguards from June 27th to September 1st. Marine waters are not tested. Freshwater tributaries are tested on Tuesdays for E. coli. Results are available on Thursday or Friday. Coliform bacteria are indicative of mammal and bird waste (e.g. ducks, deer, dogs, humans), which can cause illness and infections to bathers and recreational water users.Parents should take special care to check for advisories as these freshwater outflows are a popular spot for small children to play. Parks Canada posts an advisory at the outflow if the 30-day geometric mean at the freshwater outflows rises above 200 E. coli / 100 ml of water. Swim Guide marks a site green when the geometric mean is less than 200 E. coli / 100 ml of water Swim Guide marks a site red when a geometric mean exceeds 200 E. coli / 100 ml of water A site is marked grey in Swim Guide when there is no current or reliable water quality information available. Please note: some estuaries may be anoxic. Information is available on the PEI Environment website: http://www.gov.pe.ca/environment/anoxic-events Visitors can often find sand dunes at PEI beaches and parks. Dunes are fragile and easily damaged. It can take as few as 10 footsteps through the same area to destroy a marram grass colony. The roots of this protective plant cover act as a net, shaping and containing the sand. Wind blows away at the exposed sand, turning small depressions into giant holes called blowouts. Blowouts turn stable dunes into constantly shifting hills that are unable to support vegetation or wildlife. Please use the boardwalks and carpeted footpaths at designated beach access points and stay off the dunes to prevent further damage.