Bayfield Marina Has Been Awarded Another Blue Flag

by Bob Montgomery

The Bayfield Marina has been awarded the Blue Flag designation again.

Bluewater Planning Coordinator Lyndsay Whalen says the Bayfield Marina has been honoured to receive the Blue Flag status for the last fifteen years starting in 2009. “There is a list of criteria that the marina has to comply with to achieve that status and it's environmental goals, community outreach, anything aimed at making the water swimmable, drinkable, fishable and so we demonstrate through our application that we're able to achieve those, we have programs in place, community outreach and environmental goals, safety features in place at the marina including reaching out to the community to inform them about what they can do to keep the water clean, safe and enjoyable for the community and for the environment.”

The Bayfield Marina was one of nine across Canada to achieve the Blue Flag status this year and the Blue Flag is something that is recognized around the world. The municipal staff and the marina staff hold several community events throughout the year and they invite the public to join them in those events. One of the major events is a shoreline clean-up event that's tentatively scheduled for August 10th and it will be held at the Bayfield Marina at the mouth of the river. Last year they collected over 300 cigarette butts and five bags of trash that didn't get into the water.

Whalen says all of their events are listed on the Bluewater website and she invites everyone to check that periodically to see what's going on at the Bayfield Marina.