Will we ever be able to swim again at Hiawatha?

It's been years since there wasn't a sign at Kinsmen Park (Hiawatha) warning people against swimming there.

SooToday can't recall any announcement of a permanent decision to close the beach there and the official Sault Ste. Marie Conservation Authority website still advertises a swimming area at Kinsmen Park.

So we checked with Algoma Public Health, where we were told this week that the swimming ban is indeed permanent.

"Algoma Public Health put a permanent sign at Kinsmen Park (Hiawatha) in the summer of 2010 advising park users to not swim in the river," says APH's Leo Vecchio.

"For several years, historical water samples showed high levels of bacteria in the water regularly throughout the summer," Vecchio told SooToday.

"The river water is very turbid (cloudy and hazy) and has dark colour which was a safety concern if someone was drowning as you can’t see through the water."

"As both these factors are naturally occurring, it will not change the warning signs."