Transport Canada and Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) bylaw enforcement staff removed 28 buoys that did not comply with their regulations from Mara Lake on May 22 and 23.
Along with the buoys that were removed a further 180 were tagged notifying the owners of the violations and giving the owners an opportunity to bring them into line with Transport Canada’s regulations. All of the buoys that were removed had been tagged giving the owners an opportunity to rectify the situation and those tagged on May 22 and 23 may be removed if nothing is changed.
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The size, colour and identification of the buoys is regulated. According to a press release from Transport Canada, buoys that do not meet these requirements can be hazardous to boaters and other lake users. Buoys must also be anchored in place on the lake bed using proper materials.
“The number of non-compliant buoys is a source of public complaints to the CSRD, as well as a safety hazard to those using the water. We are pleased to be able to support Transport Canada in their enforcement efforts to remove neglected, derelict or substandard buoys from lakes in the Shuswap,” says Marty Herbert, the CSRD’s Team Leader of Building and Bylaw Services.
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Transport Canada navigation protection officers plan to conduct a similar enforcement action in the North Shuswap. Between June 4 and 6 they will tag non-compliant buoys and return in September to remove those that remain outside the regulations.
A previous effort in November 2018 saw 31 buoys removed and 101 buoys tagged as non-compliant in the Sorrento and Blind Bay areas.
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