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Swimmers don’t return to beaches in droves

Lifting of advisories doesn’t result in any big crowds
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Very few people have come back to Fuller Lake Park beach to swim. (Photo by oOn Bodger)

People obviously aren’t trusting the water quality at Fuller Lake.

A day after Island Health lifted the swimming advisory for Fuller Lake and Kin Park beaches in Chemainus, there was hardly a swimmer to be found.

Fuller Lake had but a handful of people in the water at any one time, with four lifeguards back on duty.

Testing revealed the high bacterial counts recorded at the local waters that shut down swimming as of July 9 had returned to normal levels to allow swimmers to return July 20.

But most decided to stay away anyway, leaving scarce crowds at the beaches during a normally busy time.

Fuller Lake normally experiences a swimming closure in August – and might again – but the hot and dry weather from late June and into July made that happen a lot earlier this year.

Island Health, with support from North Cowichan, will continue to perform water testing and issue further beach advisories, if the need arises.



Don Bodger

About the Author: Don Bodger

I've been a part of the newspaper industry since 1980 when I began on a part-time basis covering sports for the Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle.
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