Warnings issued for Gimli swim areas after raw sewage flows into Lake Winnipeg

Gimli beach-goers are being warned to stay out of the water after raw sewage poured into Lake Winnipeg on Wednesday.

The chief medical officer of health issued warnings for Gimli Beach, Loni Beach, the swimming area near the Viking statue and Moonlight Bay due to high levels E. coli bacteria.

In a message posted on its website, the rural municipality of Gimli says work related to private construction damaged a sewer pipe, causing the sewage to spill into the lake.

High bacteria levels usually last for a short time and although most swimmers are not expected to get sick, there is an increased risk, the notice on the chief medical officer of health's website says.

The Gimli Film Festival started on Wednesday. The festival includes nightly screenings of films on the beach.

"It's unfortunate that our film fans can't go for a swim today, but all our venues are air conditioned and film fans can cool off with our films," a festival spokesperson said in an email.

The festival plans to show the film Phantom of the Paradise on the beach on Thursday night.