Toronto Hub Monitoring Sites
The Toronto Hub monitors multiple sites every Summer in the West end of Toronto, the Inner Harbour, and the Toronto Island. Some of these sites are considered “Community Led” sites which means they are fully sampled by volunteers. Without these dedicated volunteers, these sites wouldn’t be sampled. Every site that is sampled also has an accompanying Environmental Health and Safety Survey (EHSS) that provides foundational knowledge of the site and its associated risks. Explore our Toronto Sites and their EHSS’s below!
Algonquin Bridge
This site is located on the Toronto Island on Wards Island and is one of our community-led sites. A very dedicated group of volunteers has been sampling this site for a few years now and it has some of the best water quality of all the sites we monitor. It is closely located to Toronto Island SUP a SUP and Kayak rental service run by one of the volunteers.
Snake Island
This site is located on the Toronto Island and is one of our community-based sites. A very dedicated group of volunteers has been sampling this site for a few years now and it has some of the best water quality of all the sites we monitor. It is a popular site for Kayaking, Canoeing, and other forms of recreation.
Wards Dock
This site is located on the Toronto Island on Wards Island and is one of our community-led sites. A very dedicated group of volunteers has been sampling this site for a few years now. It is a popular location for kayaking and other forms of secondary recreation. It is also facing the Toronto Inner Harbour and is at higher risk for contamination from CSOs.
Humber Bay Park West
Part of a network of small peninsulas stretching out into Lake Ontario, Humber Bay Park West is a beautiful spot on the city's waterfront. This site is one of our community-led sites and is run by longtime volunteers. This site is popular for swimming and diving. There are ample trails around the site making it pleasant to walk and bike around.
Ontario Place West Island Beach
This small pebble beach is located on the west island of Ontario Place and provides wide open beautiful views of Lake Ontario. Swim Drink Fish samples this site year-round. Popular forms of recreation at this site are swimming and sunbathing. This site is located along the Martin Goodman Trail so it is easily accessible by bike. This site will not be monitored in the 2024 season.
Rees St. Slip
This slip is the center of recreational water use in the Inner Harbour and frequently hosts sailing and paddling camps over the Summer months. This site is also the location of a combined sewer outfall and is at high risk for contamination from this point source. This site will not be monitored in the 2024 season.
Marina Four
Marina Four is a well-protected slip that sits between Rees St. and Lower Simcoe St., right in the heart of the Harbourfront Centre. This site hosts many houseboats and has residents living there all year long. This site is also the location of a combined sewer outfall and is at high risk for contamination from that source. This is also the site of a Seabin that we help empty and classify in partnership with the Floatables Strategy. This site will not be monitored in the 2024 season.
Bathurst Quay
While sampling various locations in the summer of 2016, we discovered very high levels of E. coli here. This prompted us to start sampling regularly at this site. Since then E.coli levels have improved greatly. This site is also the location of a Pirate Boat Tour along with the pickup location for some boat clubs located on Toronto Island. It is also the location of a combined sewer outfall and is at high risk for contamination from this source. This site will not be monitored in the 2024 season.
The Boulevard Club
This site is located at the Boulevard Club in West Toronto and is adjacent to public parks and Sunnyside Beach. This is one of our community-led sites and is run by dedicated staff and volunteers at the club. This site is operated as part of our Adopt-a-Site program! This site will not be monitored in the 2024 season.
Kew-Balmy Beach
Kew-Balmy Beach is one of Toronto’s official beaches that is monitored by them in the Summer months. In the winter this becomes one of our community-led sites through our Adopt-a-Site program to continue providing water quality data to the many people who use this site in the winter. This site will not be monitored in the 2024 season.
How do we know where to sample?
The site is a place where people recreate in the water (swimming, fishing, boating etc.)
The site is not currently monitored or is under monitored
The site may be vulnerable to pollution that could degradade the water quality and negatively impact it’s function as a habitat