Signs have been posted as a precautionary measure due to a Clover Point sewer discharge yesterday evening. At approximately 10:20 pm on June 26, screened sewage was discharged through the Clover Point short outfall as a result of a stand-by generator not starting during a planned BC Hydro shut down affecting the power supply to the Clover Point Pump station.
Although the generator and automatic transfer switch operated normally during testing, prior to the planned outage, the generator did not start automatically when Hydro power was shut down. CRD Operators immediately responded by manually starting the generator returning the pump station to full operation. The discharge lasted 19 minutes resulting in a total volume of approximately 650 cubic metres of sewage to be released.
In consultation with Island Health, water sampling at seven locations along the beaches near Clover Point took place this morning and public health advisory signs have been posted at all beach access points in the area. Given the short duration of this event, it is not anticipated that fecal coliform levels in the samples will exceed the 200 CFU/100mL recreational limit. The lab results from this morning’s samples should be available Saturday morning, June 28, at which time the signage will be removed if the fecal levels are below the recreational limit.