Health warnings about high levels of bacteria at beaches in Brentwood Bay have fuelled an ongoing debate about the potential sources of fecal contamination in the area.
A local watchdog group points the finger at people living aboard boats in the bay, accusing them of discharging sewage directly into the water.
But a society representing mariners argues that a land-based sewage leak is the more likely cause and says live-aboards are being unfairly targeted.
Neither group has offered definitive proof of their claims, and the District of Central Saanich says all manner of factors can influence bacteria levels, including tides, animal feces, runoff, water temperatures and the hot summer weather.
“These things can come from multiple sources,” Mayor Ryan Windsor said.
Island Health issued no-swimming warnings for beaches at Clarke Road and Stelly’s Cross Road in June, citing high levels of enterococci bacteria.
The warning at Stelly’s Cross Road has since been lifted, but an advisory remains in effect at Clarke Road.
Swimming in contaminated water increases the risk of ear, nose and throat infections or gastrointestinal illnesses, the health authority says.
The district says people and pets should stay out of the water while the advisory remains in place.
It’s the latest development in a dispute over water quality in the bay and what should be done to protect it.
After the initial health warnings in June, the Saanich Inlet Protection Society issued a statement saying that the fecal contamination likely originated from marine sources and “most probably from live-aboard boats.”
Michael Simmons, the society’s vice-president, said in an interview that it’s no surprise health advisories have become more common as the number of boats in the bay has increased.
“We don’t think it’s a coincidence, obviously,” he said.
The newly formed Brentwood Bay Marine Community Society, however, disputes the allegations. It believes the pollution could be coming from an older sewer line that’s leaking into the bay.
The society says wildlife or runoff from farmland and broken septic fields are other potential sources.
“We’re not saying there’s no boat problem at all, just that it is not the main cause. It is the scapegoat,” said Sue Stroud, the society’s secretary.
“Live-aboards get blamed, but it’s transient boaters more than live-aboards, we think. … Our boaters swim in the bay, so you don’t want to be messing it up.
“Several of them have little children who live on the boats for all or part of the year, and like to jump in the water to go for a swim. So who’s going to endanger their kids that way?”
Simmons said his watchdog group has no problem with people living aboard boats, provided they abide by sewage discharge regulations.
The group wants the federal government to make the rules “crystal clear” by declaring Saanich Inlet a no-discharge area. The society also backs efforts by the municipality to better regulate the bay, Simmons said.
The District of Central Saanich has applied to the province for a “licence of occupation” in the bay.
Windsor says the licence, if approved, will allow the district to manage the number of mooring buoys, keep navigation channels clear and make sure that live-aboards have holding tanks and are safely disposing of wastewater.
Boaters would pay a proposed mooring fee of $1,000 a year to cover the cost of the program, the district says.
Windsor acknowledged that boats are only one possible source of contamination, and that sometimes the source may never be found.
“But you try to eliminate things,” he said. “And if you can say that people are operating within the regulations and using holding tanks and pumping out, then that potentially eliminates that source, right?
“That is our goal and I think that’s the goal of the vast majority of boat owners as well. Nobody wants to be seen as potentially causing a problem, I don’t think.”
Stroud, however, said it’s unfair for the district to be singling out boaters and charging new fees without any evidence that they’re causing a problem.
“They have nothing to go on; it’s all hearsay,” she said. “So it’s very frustrating.”
She said the marine community society wants to see thorough testing done on a regular basis to properly identify the sources of contamination and get them fixed.
“If it turns out it is the sewer line that we think is suspect, then that sewer line needs to be replaced.”
The society plans to apply for its own licence of occupation, arguing that it can do a better job than the district of protecting the bay.
“We don’t plan to charge anybody for anything,” Stroud said. “We plan to create a neighbourhood, a community that works together to solve its problems.”
