Volunteers Needed!
Water Quality Sampling for Sewage Contamination in Saanich Inlet
SIPS is considering how we might participate with Surfrider Foundation’s Victoria marine water quality sampling program for Saanich Inlet. The program is known as the Blue Water Task Force.
Samples have been collected in the Inlet since the program started but this has only been done on an occasional basis. All sample results can be seen at the link above. Tests detect human sewage pollution using an indicator bacteria known as enterococci. This same indicator is also used by Island Health when testing for water safety at swimming beaches. Note that other contaminants of concern are NOT detected.
Procedures and Timing
The testing protocol can be found on the Surfrider web site link above under Resources, Standard Operating Procedures, Water Sampling Instructions. The most important thing to know is the last item which says that whatever happens the sample must be in the laboratory within six hours of being taken from the ocean.
Another important time constraint is that the lab used by the Blue Water Task Force is only available to them (they are volunteers) on Sunday evenings. The lab is located in downtown Victoria.
Volunteers
We need a dedicated team that is prepared to commit to a schedule of regular testing (yet to be determined). Volunteers are needed for two purposes:
- To obtain samples at one or more locations at a specific time on specified Sunday afternoons and who can take their samples to a designated person for transport to the lab, and
- To transport samples to the lab in downtown Victoria late on Sunday afternoon.
If there is sufficient interest samples could be taken at geographically separate locations including the Saanich Peninsula, Willis Point, and the West shore of the Inlet (Goldstream, Malahat, Mill Bay) with three separate transport arrangements to get samples to downtown Victoria.
This is a lot to ask but given the high level of interest at the recent Willis Point Round Table on Water Quality it could be possible. Expressing interest does NOT commit you to participating. Our intent is to convene a meeting (which could be by Zoom) of potential volunteers to discuss this idea.
Contact SIPS if you are interested.
