Swimmers looking to take a quick dip at Langford Lake’s main beach will have to go elsewhere.
The main beach, off of Leigh Place, was cordoned off Thursday with temporary orange fencing. An advisory posted nearby noted the City of Langford had been advised by Island Health of poor water quality.
An Island Health spokesperson confirmed samples taken this week revealed a spike in E. coli counts at the beach. However, results from the Goldstream sampling site had satisfactory results so the rest of the lake will remain open.
Island Health will continue to monitor the lake and will test again next week. Testing takes place weekly if a high count is discovered, every two weeks if the count is medium or monthly if low.
Water activities are not recommended at the main beach at this time and the City is asking residents to not swim in or drink the lake water.
Symptoms of an E. coli infection can take three or four days to present after exposure to the bacteria. They include diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea and vomiting. Healthy adults usually recover within a week from the infection but young children and seniors have a greater risk of developing complications from the infection.
