Transport Canada and Regional District Target Illegal Buoys on Shuswap Lake, Mara Lake – Okanagan

It seems the message has finally gotten through, says a regional district in the interior of British Columbia, when it comes to illegal buoys on local lakes.

On Wednesday, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) said it had been battling non-compliant buoys on Shuswap and Mara lakes for years.

But earlier this year, many non-compliant buoys were tagged by Transport Canada, with owners being alerted to remedy the problem or have them removed later.

“When Transport Canada staff returned to perform the removal, approximately 80% of the tagged buoys were either removed by the owners or brought into compliance with safety regulations,” the CSRD said.

« Of the remaining non-compliant buoys, 26 buoys, including many anchors, have been removed from the lake. »

CSRD says buoy proliferation on Shuswap and Mara lakes has been a continued source of public complaints.

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Shuswap Lake Lightning Strike

He added that buoys can be removed if they fail to meet regulations by being the correct size, color and identification.

“This can be dangerous for boaters and other lake users,” said CSRD, which noted that docks and buoys in regional district lakes are also regulated by CSRD regulations.

The installation of a buoy in Shuswap Lake also requires a permit from the CSRD.

“We are thrilled to see people getting the message that non-compliant buoys will be the target of enforcement action,” said CSRD’s Marty Herbert.

“After a few years of running this program, people know we take this issue seriously. Now they are taking steps to fix the situation themselves rather than risk having their buoy seized by Transport Canada.

For more information on buoy regulations, visit the Transport Canada website.