Friday August 14, 2026

Swimming is not recommended at Rainbow Haven Beach in HRM until further notice due to elevated bacteria levels in the water. Please avoid the water – swimming may cause illness. Lifeguards will be present and recommending that people do not swim. Re-samples have been collected, but results will not be available until early next week. The advisory will remain in effect until water testing results show that the water is safe.

Supervised beaches are tested by the Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service. Salt water beaches are tested for Enterococci. At Rainbow Haven Beach test results have indicated that there are elevated levels of Enterococci in the water that exceed the Canadian Recreational Water Quality Guidelines. Beach advisories are issued to eliminate any potential risk associated with exposure to recreational water that could be impacted by disease causing microorganisms such as bacteria or parasites. 
Further information on recreational water quality monitoring is available here: https://novascotia.ca/nse/environmental-health/beaches.asp