New Beach Advisories Issued for Langford Lake and Esquimalt Parks

Victoria — According to CHEK, Island Health has issued new beach advisories for Langford Lake Ed Nixon Lane, Saxe Point Park Beach, and Esquimalt Gorge Park Kinsmen Beach as of Friday. While these areas remain open to the public, swimming and other recreational water activities are not recommended due to elevated levels of bacteria.

At a glance:

• Locations affected: Langford Lake Ed Nixon Lane, Saxe Point Park Beach, Esquimalt Gorge Park Kinsmen Beach.
• E. Coli levels: Langford Lake recorded E. Coli levels of 455 on August 13, exceeding safe limits.
• Enterococci levels: Saxe Point Beach and Esquimalt Gorge Park Kinsmen Beach reported Enterococci levels of 130 and 125, respectively, also above acceptable thresholds.
• Sampling frequency: Water samples are taken based on beach usage and contamination risk, with results influencing advisories.

The advisory for Langford Lake comes shortly after a previous advisory was lifted earlier this month. For fresh water, acceptable E. Coli levels must be a mean of less than or equal to 200 E. Coli per 100 ml across five samples, or a single sample must be less than or equal to 400 E. Coli per 100 ml. In marine water, Enterococci levels must not exceed a mean of 35 per 100 ml or a single sample of 70 per 100 ml.

Island Health conducts water sampling either weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, depending on the assessed risk level. The advisories will remain in effect until further updates are provided by Island Health. A new advisory was also issued for Sayward Beach on August 14. Residents can find the full list of beach advisories on the Island Health website.

For more details, visit the original article here.

Sources

• CHEK News: https://cheknews.ca/beach-advisories-for-saxe-point-park-esquimalt-gorge-park-and-langford-lake-1273065/