‘Sewage discharge’ prompts beach advisory for Banfield Park dock in Vic West

Victoria’s most beloved swim spot at Vic Wests’s Banfield Park dock has been deemed unsafe for swimming by Island Health due to a “sewage discharge.”

The reasoning for the beach advisory issued for Banfield Park’s swimming dock is that recent testing on July 23rd determined the area had higher than normal enterococci levels. 

Because of this, Island Health and the Capital Regional District (CRD) have declared the water unfit for humans or pets to swim in. 

According to BC HealthLink, enterococci are a bacteria that are commonly found in the human gut and feces, and can also be found in other areas like the mouth and skin. 

This bacteria is often used as an indicator of fecal contamination. 

Enterococci are usually harmless, but they can cause infections, particularly in vulnerable individuals.

Developing an enterococcal infection can manifest as sepsis, urinary tract infections (UTIs) and infections of the heart and brain.

The waters around the Banfield Park dock are tested frequently, and the last time the area tested high for enterococci levels was back in August of last year. 

In the past, Banfield Park’s water has been subject to heavy pollution, which rendered it unsafe for swimming. 

However, due to the Capital Regional District’s significant clean-up efforts in the 1990s, the waterway’s water quality was restored to safe levels. 

According to Island Health, by 2000, the water was deemed safe for swimming again and has been more frequently used since then. 

During COVID-19 shutdowns, many people frequented the park’s small, former dock, which prompted action from city council to expand the dock two-times over, creating more space for people to use the area to swim. 

Banfield Park’s dock isn’t the only beach that has a beach advisory issued for it on Vancouver Island. 

The other beaches that have had advisories issued for them are: Prior Lake, Thetis Lake beach, Langford Lake off Leigh Road, Esquimalt Lagoon, Elk Lake Hamsterly west, Elk Lake Eagles beach, Elk Lake Hamsterly east, Ross Bay beach, Beaver Lake and Art Mann Park.

Some of these advisories were issued due to high enterococci levels and some were issued due to blue-green algae blooms. See the full list of beach advisories and what caused them here.