Swimmers have been warned about unhealthy water conditions at six beaches in Greater Victoria and Langford, according to Island Health.
Last week, health officials issued water quality advisories for four beaches – Coles Bay Beach in North Saanich, Ross Bay Beach in Victoria, Kinsmen Beach in Esquimalt and Saanich Inlet at Brentwood Bay – due to high bacteria levels.
This week, Island Health added two more warnings to the list, one for Langford Lake off Ed Nixon Lane and another for Hamsterly West on Elk Lake in Saanich.
On June 5, Island Health announced that the water in Langford Lake off Ed Nixon Lane contained potentially dangerous amounts of E. coli, and on June 7, health officials announced a similar problem existed at Hamsterly West Beach in Elk Lake.
Island Health will be monitoring beach water quality by taking samples throughout the swimming season, which runs from mid-May through September.
“Indicator bacteria are used to identify the presence of fecal contamination and provide an indication of potential risks associated with swimming and other recreational aquatic activities at a location,” states Island Health's webpage on beach advisories.
Island Health says local governments will post beach advisories at beaches where water quality tests indicate unsanitary water.
With files from CHEK's Ethan Morneau
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