With just a few weeks left of summer, the city of St. Catharines is planning to reopen Port Dalhousie's Lakeside Park and beach area.
The beach at the park, which has been flooded since May, will reopen to the public on Friday, Aug. 16th.
Officials say while water levels remain high, and are still above average, there is enough usable space on the beach to safely reopen it for use.
“As the water levels have started to recede, our staff have been hard at work cleaning and grooming the beach,” said Darrell Smith, director of Municipal Works. “As long as the weather cooperates, and the water levels continue to decline, we could see even more space available for use before the beach season ends.”
The reopening of the beach is another step in returning park operations to normal.
Amenities affected by the flooding have been reopened over the past several weeks, including the washrooms, snack bar and Lakeside Park Carousel.
The east pier, however, remains closed due to the water levels.