With nearly one-third of the courts underwater, beach volleyball officials at Ashbridge’s Bay are monitoring whether they need to make changes to their program which starts the first week of May.

“We’re going to do a site visit as well, get a look at the courts and go from there,” said Josh Nichol, interim beach manager of the Ontario Volleyball Association.

The area where the volleyball courts sit today was once a bay and part of the lake, said Matthew Cutler, spokesperson for Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation.

“This is the first time in half a century that this large a quantity of water has been seen on the beach,” said Cutler, who didn’t know when the water would drain out.

“So, it’s not that there’s never been water. But in the last few years that’s all been beach area and that beach has been steadily growing.”

Cutler said the water on the beach now isn’t created by rain. This is water that’s been thrown up from the lake during storm activity to create a new inner lake that we have in the harbour now, he said.

Coastal zones change and evolve naturally, Cutler said.

“It’s part of the reality — this is a natural lake — and we can do some work to try and manage it but it is all very natural,” he said.

He said the city’s main priority is protecting the Leuty Lifeguard Station, which is a heritage structure, and the boardwalk.

In the middle of the newly created lake sat a pink and a green Muskoka chair.

Peter Psirlis, who was putting up a volleyball net Tuesday, said he comes to the beach every day but this is the first time he can remember seeing this happen. He guessed it’s about a metre deep in the middle of the body of water.

It’s stagnant water that is a perfect place for bulrushes and grass, he said.

“It could turn into a wetland.”

Kaia, a two-and-a-half year old Rhodesian Ridgeback, played fetch with her owner Roxanne Boutzis.

It was only a few weeks ago that Boutzis noticed the new lake appear.

“It was a lot smaller — it’s hard to tell because they took the fences away but it’s extended beyond the fence,” Boutzis said, pointing to orange snow fences that rested in water.

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“It’s grown bigger. I’ve never seen it like this before, so it’s interesting.”

Marcus Kihn, who’s lived in the area for about eight years, said he saw some grass grow by the volleyball courts last year in the summer.

He also found it interesting that the lake is disconnected and finger-like in some places.

“There were a few puddles in the last few years,” he said, looking around. “Never seen it this deep and this widespread.”