Rainbow Haven Beach and Lawrencetown Beach in the Halifax area have been reopened for swimming following a temporary closure due to elevated bacteria levels that exceeded safety thresholds. Official advisories issued on Friday cautioned against swimming at both beaches due to potential health risks associated with the contaminated water. The Department of Environment and Climate Change confirmed that water tests revealed higher-than-acceptable levels of bacteria at the two beaches.

Paul D’Eon, the director of the Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service, reported that samples taken from the beaches on Friday morning indicated heightened levels of enterococci, a type of bacteria commonly present in saltwater, with similar effects to E. coli found in freshwater sources. Subsequent laboratory analyses conducted on Monday morning confirmed that the water quality had returned to safe levels for swimming, as announced by Nova Scotia Parks.

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