With one week to go until the Gibsons Sea Cavalcade festival, the Town of Gibsons and Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA) have jointly issued a swimming advisory at Armours Beach Park after discovering unusually high levels of fecal coliform counts in the water.
Events including kayak races and children's swimming and water sports are scheduled to be held at the beach July 23. Sea Cavalcade committee chair Conchita Harding said, "Good co-ordinators always have a plan B."
"Instead of having the water sports, there would be inland activities," Harding said. "Some of the activities we could probably move into the Gibsons swimming pool."
In past years, a few hundred people attended the Armours Beach events during Sea Cavalcade, she said.
The source of the coliform was not confirmed at the time of the July 12 advisory. VCHA public health inspector Tim Adams said it could possibly be from geese. "Hopefully we'll find out it's geese and we can give it the all clear - if I can keep the geese out," Adams said.
The Town and VCHA have been doing water sample testing at the beach once a week during the warmer months. Adams said they will test every day during the advisory. The swimming advisory will be lifted once bacterial counts from tests return to acceptable levels.
Gibsons Mayor Barry Janyk said the Town has never closed a beach due to coliform before.
"It's disappointing getting that kind of notice," he said. "We'll get to the bottom of it. We'll find the source and we'll deal with it as best we can. If there's coliform on our beaches in the summertime, it's a situation we must deal with. You just can't have that, period."
On Wednesday Janyk expected the Town and health authorities would determine the source in the next 10 days. "We're not taking any chances here, and by doing this I think it sends a message that we're pretty serious about it," Janyk said. "We're going to find out and we're going to clean up the mess whatever way we can."
Parks director Wendy Gilbertson said signs have been posted and town staff are monitoring the beach advising people not to swim. "We're investigating to try to track down the source," Gilbertson said. "Hopefully this is not going to affect Sea Cavalcade. Hopefully we'll have it remedied by then."
If not, they are looking for alternate venues such as a dock further down the shoreline.
"We are working on that with the Sea Cavalcade committee," Gilbertson said.
For further information, contact the Town of Gibsons at 604-886-2274 or VCHA at 604-885-5164.
