Members of the public should avoid wading or swimming in the waters near Clover Point and Ross Bay until further notice after sewage was discharged in the area.
Unscreened sewage was discharged through the Clover Point short outfall after a mechanical equipment failure about 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The equipment failed when heavy rains flushed large debris through the sewer system into the pump station.
The Capital Regional District is worried the wastewater might pose a health risk, said Matthew McCrank, the CRD’s senior manager of infrastructure operations. The affected area is between St. Charles and Cook streets.
The pump station is now operating normally. The CRD will collect water samples for 24 hours. Public-health advisory signs will be posted as a precaution at the affected beaches until the results of samples show contamination in the water is at safe levels.
It usually takes two to three days to resolve the situation, McCrank said.
Updates will be posted online at crd.bc.ca.
