Bowker Creek

Source Information

Surfrider Vancouver Island’s Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) monitors 15 saltwater beaches and 4 freshwater beaches around Victoria, BC. Surfrider Vancouver Island volunteers collect and process water samples. BWTF monitors sites around Victoria, BC year-round. Currently, BWTF is sampling (on average) 1 site every two weeks. They rotate the sites, so each one gets sampled on a regular basis, but they give priority to known or suspected problem sites. Samples are typically collected on Saturdays, Sundays or Mondays, but Surfrider volunteers may collect samples on other days of the week depending on volunteer availability. Surfrider updates Swim Guide with new results as soon as test results become available, approximately 24-48 hours after sampling. Surfrider’s BWTF utilizes the standardized EPA criteria of 235 MPN/100 mL for collecting and analyzing water samples. Test results are expressed as Most Probable Number (MPN) of E. Coli per 100 mL by using the IDEXX Quanti-Tray/2000 MPN Table. Results are posted shortly after the lab results are available (approximately 24 hours after sample collection). Results will be communicated through the Swim Guide app and website. Results tables are also available on the Surfrider Foundation's Blue Water Task Force website at http://www.surfrider.org/blue-water-task-force/chapter/41. Freshwater beaches are marked green when single sample test results show E. coli levels below 235 MPN / 100 mL of water. A freshwater beach is marked Red when E. coli results are equal to or above 235 MPN / 100 mL water. If a sample exceeds the standard, the site is given priority for re-testing. A beach is marked Grey when there are no current results or there is no available information.