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- July 27 - More beaches close due to E. Coli
July 27 - More beaches close due to E. Coli
Pat Bay’s Keating Cross Road flyover opens at midnight
Capital Daily Team
July 27, 2025
Good morning !
We have some news if you were planning on taking a dip today. More beaches are closing due to E. coli. That’s not good.
This is: The Keating Cross Road flyover opens at midnight.
— Mark
Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes
🌡️ Weather Forecast
NEWS
No swimming at these local beaches
Thetis Lake Regional Park. Photo: City of Langford
Langford Lake is the latest area beach to be put under advisory, with swimming not advised for humans or pets. It’s joined the list of 10 Island lakes and marine beaches, eight of which are in Greater Victoria.
According to Island Health, beach advisories may be considered when:
the geometric mean (minimum of 5 samples) exceeds 200 E. coli or 35 enterococci per 100 ml sample (enterococci testing is favoured for marine samples)
a single sample exceeds 400 E. coli or 70 Enterococci per 100 ml sample
a visible blue-green algae bloom is present
other possible health hazards are identified
In Langford Lake—water was tested at Leigh Road—E. Coli testing showed a rise from 27 to 423, which is considered an unacceptable level.
Earlier this week, Esquimalt Lagoon was put under an advisory for high bacteria levels as well. The same day, Thetis Lake’s main beach joined the list, this time for blue-green algae blooms. The park’s Prior Beach has also been under an advisory for algae blooms since mid-June.
Near Langford Lake, Glen Lake was put under advisory last week for extremely high bacterial levels (1,950 E. Coli). Testing this week has shown a decrease, but the advisory remains in place.
Blue-green algae have put a stop to swimming in parts of Elk Lake since 2024. Ross Bay Beach has also been a no-go swim spot since last year due to high bacteria levels.
Beaver Lake—connected to Elk Lake—has been under advisory for blue-green algae since 2023.
Island Health’s longest-running advisory is for Art Mann Lake Park in Duncan, which has been under observation for high bacteria for 10 years now.
Thankfully, some beaches that were under advisory earlier this summer are no longer listed on Island Health’s website. Willows Beach in Oak Bay appears safe to swim in, though construction in the area may pose an issue for some water lovers. Sayward Beach in Cordova Bay has also been removed from the list after testing for high enterococci in June.
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
Road closure: Pandora between Cook and Vancouver for one week, starting tomorrow. 7am-5pm. [City of Victoria]
Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
