Morning at Bayswater Beach Provincial Park, Hubbards. Photo: Megan Hirons Mahon

The Nova Scotia Lifesaving Society who provide the lifeguards that monitor the province’s beaches has closed Queensland Beach in Queens County and Bayswater Beach in Lunenburg County over bacteria concerns.

The closure was put in place on Sunday and the NSLS stated it will remain in place until further notice.

The exact cause of the unusually high concentration of bacteria is still unknown, but it has been happening throughout the early summer at lakes and beaches around the province. Some experts are suggesting the high amount of rain experienced in the province has led to increases in runoff and warmer water temperatures that allow various types of bacteria to thrive.

In lakes, it can often take all summer for a bacterial or algae bloom to resolve itself (sometimes it never recovers) but beaches generally fare better as the coming and going of tides along with regular ocean currents help cycle in fresh ocean water.