At the District of Central Saanich Council on Monday July 28 a motion to request staff to develop options for a Pump Out service was passed unanimously by Council. A background and Resolution is posted below as well as a letter from SIPS in support of the motion.
Backgound
Brentwood Bay and Tod Inlet have seen a consistent rise in recreational and liveaboard vessel activity, yet there is currently no reliable, publicly accessible marine blackwater (sewage) pump-out service in the area. The only known service, located at Anglers Anchorage Marina, is not clearly advertised or confirmed as publicly available. A service previously offered by Butchart Gardens ended in 2022, and their pump-out vessel was provided to Tsartlip First Nation. While this allowed for training and a short period of service delivery, the vessel is no longer functional, and demand has only increased since.
As a result, blackwater is frequently discharged directly into the Inlet, contributing to significant environmental degradation. These discharges have well-documented impacts on marine ecosystems and wildlife, as well as on public health and recreational use. Island Health has issued multiple swimming advisories in Brentwood Bay and Tod Inlet in recent years. In August 2024, Clarke Road beach recorded the highest level of enterococci bacteria in nine years (3,800 CFU/100mL). Earlier that same summer, samples taken from the Saanich Inlet off Clarke Road measured 85 CFU/100 mL—more than double the safe threshold. These levels regularly exceed Island Health’s standards of 35 CFU/100 mL (geometric mean) or 70 CFU/100 mL (single sample), prompting public health warnings and closures.
A clean marine environment has broad benefits—for public health, for the enjoyment of local residents and tourists, and for marine-dependent economic and cultural activities. Improving waste management infrastructure in the inlet will support not only the environmental health of the region but also important economic and cultural goals, including safer harvesting and boating conditions for all communities, including Tsartlip First Nation.
Resolution
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that staff be directed to assess the current availability, accessibility, and adequacy of marine blackwater pump-out services in Brentwood Bay and Tod Inlet;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that staff report back to Council with options to improve service availability for the 2026 boating season, including potential partnerships, operational models, funding strategies, and collaboration with local marinas and First Nations.
Letter from SIPS in Support of the Resolution
SIPS applauds the resolution proposed by Councillors Riddell and Newton regarding marine blackwater pump-out service at Brentwood Bay and Tod Inlet.
We submit the following observations
Pump-out Situation in Brentwood Bay
There is a long history of similar initiatives in the bay. We first list the previous NGO initiatives (1-3) and second we list the previous government initiatives (4-10).
NGO Initiatives
- SIPS (a not for profit registered charity) purchased and operated Pumpty Dumpty as a volunteer run pump-out boat until the boat had to be retired (2007 - 2016),
- Butchart Gardens purchased a new pump-out boat and operated it on a non profit basis (2018-2021),
- Butchart Gardens donated the pump-out boat to WSANEC Leadership Council,
- Government of Canada makes it mandatory for most boats to have a holding tank (2014),
- DCS Council requests CSPS to establish a police presence on marine waters to enforce regulations (2015). The Police Board agreed,
- District of Central Saanich requests government of Canada to establish a designated sewage area that includes the bay (2015),
- Beach advisories are issued repeatedly over several years by Island Health for the two Brentwood Bay testing sites – Clarke Road and Stelly’s X Road beach accesses. The only other local site tested is Tod Inlet. Testing is infrequent at all these sites,
- DCS Council adopts a management plan for the bay, that includes provisions for sewage discharge control (2017),
- DCS applies to the Province for a Licence of Occupation to manage moorage and users of moorage including sewage discharge for the bay (2018),
- DCS quietly abandons both the plan and the LOO application (2019).
Government Initiatives
Not one of these government initiatives has been implemented or enforced.
Five of the Councillors now comprising Council were on Council when most of these initiatives were approved. The other two Councillors are the proposers of this resolution. SIPS thanks them and we urge Council to both adopt and vigorously pursue implementation of this resolution.
