The Toquaht Bay marina and boat launch will reopen for access on Aug. 26, 2014.

The beach and campground remain closed and have been fenced off to prevent access to the area. Tests found levels of arsenic, cobalt and selenium that exceed the standards set out in B.C.’s contaminated sites regulation and could potentially pose a threat to human health. Further testing also identified high concentrations of iron in the soil that could also pose a potential risk to human health.

The boat launch and marina will likely close again in a couple of years when the whole area is under remediation, prior to being fully reopened. Remediation of contaminated sites is a long and complex process. It is being done in phases to minimize impact to those who use the boat launch to access the islands in Barkley Sound.

In August 2013, the Toquaht Nation also opened a new campground at Secret Beach, including a parking lot and a kayak staging area with launch because kayaks could not be launched from the Toquaht Bay marina as there is no access to the beach.

Media Contacts:

Greig Bethel
Media Relations
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
250 356-5261

Sarah Robinson
Director of Operations
Toquaht Nation
250 726-4230 (ext. 229)