Arsenic, selenium discovery shuts marine, campground on B.C.’s west coast

VICTORIA – The B.C. government has shut down a marina and campground near Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island after they discovered high levels of arsenic, selenium and cobalt.

Health officials say they are most concerned about arsenic, which can be poisonous in small doses.

Dr. Paul Hasselback, the medical health officer for central Vancouver Island, says exposure would come from drinking or eating arsenic but adds few are at risk of drinking the salt water or eating contaminated dirt.

The site was developed into a recreational area after the closure of the Brynnor Mine in the late 1960s.

The land was transferred to the Toquaht (tow-QUAT’) First Nation in a treaty that came into effect in 2011.

The province agreed to undertake environmental inspections and remediate any contaminants as part of the treaty, and those recent tests lead to the discovery of the toxins.