Predicting the environmental drivers of recreational water quality in Canada

Abstract

Poor recreational water quality poses a risk of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) to beach goers engaging in water activities. In Canada, the concentration of Escherichia coli (E. coli) is regularly monitored by public health units to make risk management recommendations about beach water quality conditions. Laboratory processing times results in a delay in the availability of water sample results. As such, decisions about whether to post a beach as safe for swimming are based on previous day data.  Beach E. coli concentrations are influenced by several environmental and climatic factors, which can result in changes to water quality conditions in a short period. A greater understanding of these factors could assist in timely decision-making processes.

We examined water quality data collected by public health authorities in Vancouver, Manitoba, Toronto and Niagara Region and linked it to environmental data collected from public databases. To identify environmental predictors, we applied various advanced analytic methods in a region-specific approach.  Predictive models were then developed to guide beach managers in decision-making and risk communication to reduce recreational water illness risks among beachgoers.

Research on the environmental drivers of beach water quality in the Canadian context is limited. We aim to address this gap of knowledge with our multi-site project. This webinar will discuss recreational water quality in beaches located in four regions across Canada and present key findings of the project.

Speakers

Dr. Johanna Sanchez, MIPH, PhD is a Senior Research Associate at the School of Occupational and Public Health at Toronto Metropolitan University an Honorary Fellow at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Queensland and Canadian Technical Advisor for TAP-EDM, Canada's Technical Assistance Partnership Expert Deployment Mechanism of Global Affairs Canada. Her research interests include investigating enteric infection and the effect on health outcomes, particularly in the area of water, hygiene and sanitation. She has conducted research with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research in Dhaka, Bangaldesh (icddr,b) in densely populated settings in low- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Binyam Desta, MIPH, PhD is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Occupational and Public Health at Toronto Metropolitan University. He held a postdoctoral position in the School of Public Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo, where he completed his Ph.D. in Public Health and Health Systems. His research interests include investigating the risk factors and the burden of infectious diseases, particularly foodborne, waterborne, and acute respiratory illnesses.