Update from the CRD about the sewage contamination at Gyro Park Beach
- In response to an initial overflow of diluted sewage on October 11, 2014 from the Humber and Rutland Pump Stations, CRD staff posted signs warning the public of potentially unsafe conditions along the foreshore area of Cadboro Bay
- There were also some small additional overflows in response to storm events later in October.
- The CRD continue to collect weekly samples to evaluate environmental conditions in the vicinity of the pump stations; the results indicate that bacterial levels remain elevated in Cadboro Bay
- Staff are now sampling at different locations, times and weather conditions to locate other potential sources of contamination (e.g., wildlife, storrmwater). This includes testing for fecal coliform and enterococci as well as taking samples for bacterial source tracking (a DNA technique to identify sources of bacteria as human or animal)
- The CRD continues to liaise with Island Health
- The CRD will continue to monitor the Cadboro Bay shoreline for changes in bacterial levels in order to remove the signs at the earliest possible opportunity
- Posted warning signs for public health risk will remain up until bacterial test results meet the recreational water quality guidelines.
Andy Orr
Senior Manager
Corporate Communications
Executive Services
Capital Regional District
