"The advisory remains in place for Prior Lake, Beaver Lake and Elk Lake." The Capital Regional District posted that line on October 9, 2026, in the same update that lifted the blue-green algae advisory at Thetis Lake.
The headline wording covers more water than the advisory itself does. A little further down the same alert, the CRD narrows Elk Lake's part to the Brookleigh Boat Launch at Elk Lake and lists Beaver Lake separately. That narrow footprint lines up with the lake's unsolved problem. The CRD's deep-water fix in Elk Lake is working, and what's left is the phosphorus it was never built to touch.
What the advisory actually asks of you and your dog
The trails around the lake aren't closed. The advisory is about the water. The CRD's guidance comes down to a few things:
- Avoid contact with blue-green algae, which includes drinking the water, swimming in it, or letting it touch your skin.
- Keep dogs on a leash so they can't drink from the lake or swim in it until the advisory is lifted.
- Clear water isn't proof of safe water. Not every bloom is easy to see, and toxins can be present even when no surface scum is visible.
The dog rule matters most. According to the CRD, swallowing water that contains these cyanotoxins can cause headaches and abdominal pain in people, and it can lead to lethal liver damage in dogs.
Lifting an advisory takes lab results. The CRD's protocol starts once a bloom is no longer visible. Crews sample twice in the first week and keep sampling until two consecutive samples come in below 100,000 cells/mL. Island Health then confirms whether the advisory can be lifted, and only after that do the temporary signs come down. That process explains how Thetis cleared on October 9. Its lab results showed cyanotoxins "below detection limit," and the scum had been gone for an extended stretch.
This advisory has been on and off since 2023
The CRD's alert page carries a publish date of October 16, 2023, because Elk Lake's warning has kept returning in some form since then. Saanich News reported that the CRD lifted the Elk Lake warning on February 11, 2026, ending an advisory first issued in October 2023. It didn't stay lifted for long. The Times Colonist reported in mid-March that a new warning had gone up for the Brookleigh boat launch area. Then, in early October, CHEK reported another Elk Lake advisory, with alerts still in place at other Greater Victoria lakes.
The cost goes beyond a "no swimming" sign. In May 2025, the Times Colonist reported that the Ironman swim was cancelled after testing near Hamsterly Beach found bloom activity above the Health Canada threshold.
Why the fix works and the advisory stays
Phosphorus is the main driver of blue-green algae in this lake. The CRD's July 2026 staff report breaks down where it comes from. About 30% enters from the surrounding watershed, and roughly 70% is released from the bottom sediments when deep water runs low on oxygen.
The CRD went after that 70% first. Its deep-water oxygenation system in Elk Lake went into operation in November 2023 and was fully commissioned in March 2024. A $750,000 provincial grant helped pay for it. CHEK has described it as a $1.4-million oxygenator. It pumps oxygen into the deepest water so the phosphorus stays locked in the sediments instead of feeding algae near the surface.
The CRD compared 2025 data with conditions before the system went in:
| Measure | Before oxygenation (2019–2023) | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Deep-water anoxia period | About five months | About three months |
| Total phosphorus in deep water | Baseline | Down about 80% |
The report also says that as of June 17, 2026, preliminary data showed 67 fewer public advisory days than at the same point in 2025. 2025 had its own setbacks. Saanich News reported that a valve failure that year temporarily cut the system's oxygen delivery in half, and that a large bloom in April 2025 disrupted recreation.
The CRD is clear about what the system leaves out. In the report's words, it "does not address phosphorus from shallow bays or external watershed sources," and on its own it "will not resolve all water quality issues in the lake." Warm weather, drought and heavy rain that washes nutrients into the lake keep driving blooms. The CRD describes the system as a way to cut how often blooms happen and how long they last over time. It isn't meant to get rid of algae that occurs naturally.
Beaver Lake's fix is a wetland, and it's still years off
The CRD's answer for Beaver Lake works on the watershed side. It plans to build a wetland on Haliburton Brook to slow runoff and catch nutrient-carrying sediment before it reaches Beaver Lake. Phosphorus in the brook currently exceeds provincial guidelines for aquatic life. CHEK described the wetland as a nutrient filter for the brook, and CRD staff told the outlet they expect less phosphorus to reach Beaver Lake once it's built.
The schedule runs a long way out. Studies, design and permitting are set for 2026 and 2027, with construction targeted for 2028. Until it's built, the source of phosphorus feeding Beaver Lake stays the same, so expect more advisories there. An October advisory on Beaver Lake fits the timeline the CRD has laid out.
The park this month, date by date
Walking the 10K Trail or the Lakeside Trail is unaffected by the advisory. A few things will change your loop over the next few weeks:
| When | Where | What's happening |
|---|---|---|
| Week of Oct. 12 | Hamsterly Beach Nature Playground | Closed for slide replacement |
| Oct. 15 and 16, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Galloping Goose, Grange Road to Wilkinson Road | Closed for paving and deck upgrades to the Wilkinson trail bridge, with a detour in place. The trail stays open outside those hours, and the work may move if the weather turns. |
| Wed., Oct. 21 | Beaver Beach | Crews and machinery on site to install a new debris boom |
| Through late fall | Elk Lake Drive near the Beaver Beach entrance | Saanich watermain replacement with single-lane alternating traffic on weekdays |
The Saanich watermain work runs along Elk Lake Drive between Marsett Place and the park entrance, crosses under the Pat Bay Highway to Cherry Tree Bend, and includes work on north Falaise Drive. Repeated breaks are why the main is being replaced. The project page gives two finish dates, November 30 near the top and December 31, 2026 further down, so plan on lane changes near Beaver Beach into December.
The best news for paddlers is at Brookleigh. A new accessible paddlecraft launch went in at the Brookleigh Boat Launch in July. It has a wheelchair-accessible ramp, a step-free dock, a seated transfer bench and handrails. After a short closure, the CRD reopened it on October 2. The launch is open, but the water around it is still under the advisory, so the no-contact guidance applies to anyone getting into a boat there. The CRD lists Eagle Beach, next to the Rowing Centre, and Water Ski Beach as other named shoreline spots in the park.
Everything here reflects the CRD's October 9 update. Advisories can change quickly, so check the CRD alerts page before you let the dog off at the shoreline.
Know someone who lives near Elk Lake and walks the loop every weekend? Kash at Kash Burley follows this kind of local detail across Saanich West all year, and she's always happy to talk about the neighborhoods around the lake, including what your own home is worth. Get your free home valuation whenever you're curious.
