Rather than having their buoys removed from Shuswap Lake, many owners of buoys determined to be ‘non-compliant’ have taken them out of the lake on their own.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) reports buoys were removed from the lake or brought into compliance prior to a recent Transport Canada removal effort which seized them from Electoral Areas C and F.
Buoys can be removed if they do not meet requirements governing size, colour and identification, because the non-compliance can be hazardous for boaters and other users of the lake.
This spring, problematic buoys were tagged by Transport Canada’s Navigation Protection Program to alert owners of the violation and to give them a chance to rectify the issue.
When Transport Canada staff returned to conduct the removal, about 80 per cent of the tagged buoys were either removed by owners or brought into compliance with safety regulations, stated the CSRD.
Of the remaining problematic buoys, 26 of them, including numerous anchors, were removed from the lake.
The proliferation of buoys on Shuswap and Mara lakes has been a continual source of public complaints to both the CSRD and Transport Canada, reported the CSRD in a media release.
Along with federal and provincial legislation, the installation of docks and buoys in lakes within the CSRD are also regulated by CSRD bylaws.
“We are thrilled to see people getting the message that non-compliant buoys will be the target of enforcement action,” said Marty Herbert, the CSRD’s team leader of building and bylaw services. “After a few years of this program being in operation, people know that we are serious about this issue. Now they are taking steps to fix the situation themselves rather than run the risk of their buoy being seized by Transport Canada.”
For more information on Transport Canada buoy regulations, see the Transport Canada website and the regulations for private buoys.
The installation of any buoy in Shuswap Lake requires a CSRD development permit. For more information, contact the CSRD’s planning department at 250-833-5904, email plan@csrd.bc.ca or see the CSRD website under Dock & Buoy Regulations.
Read more: Illegal buoys netted from Shuswap, Mara lakes
Read more: Non-compliant buoys, dock removed from Shuswap Lake
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