Residents are being warned not to go into the water near the Maliview treatment plant, after heavy rains Sunday and Monday caused water from the plant to flow into the ocean.
The impacted shoreline is near the Maliview Estates Wastewater Treatment Plant’s outfall pipe, on the northeast of the island near the intersection of Maliview Drive and Walkers Hook Road. The Capital Regional District (CRD) issued the warning Monday afternoon, stating that the treated and untreated wastewater “may pose a health risk.”
The CRD will be posting signage on local beaches warning the public, until results of tests of the water show levels of enterococci, a bacteria found in fecal matter, below the recreational limit.
Neighbouring communities are also dealing with the same issue. Wastewater from Pender Island’s Schooner pump station flowed into the shoreline at Boat Nook on North Pender Island, prompting the CRD to warn residents not to go into the waters there. Water treatment plants and shorelines in Oak Bay, Saanich and Victoria are also experiencing the same issue of combined stormwater and wastewater flowing into the ocean.
Sunshine appeared at 1 p.m. Monday following days of rainfall in the Gulf Islands and south coast of B.C.