But there have been beach closures due to high levels of coliform bacteria. Isn’t treatment required to protect public health?
Greater Victoria’s current and previous Chief Medical Health Officers state categorically that sewage discharged through deep ocean outfalls poses NO measurable threat to human health. None of the beach closures are related to sewage from the outfalls. But after heavy rainfall sewage is sometimes discharged onto our beaches through overflows which are diverted into storm drains. This would not be prevented by any of the treatment systems currently under consideration but could be corrected at a fraction of the cost. ARESST has consistently urged that this problem be addressed.
