Victoria's Harbour tops a list of the most polluted bodies of water of BC's coastline.
The OceanWise program, based out of the Vancouver Aquarium, collected sediment and mussel samples from 55 coastal locations over the last couple years for the Pollution Tracker project.
City councilor Charlayne Thornton-Joe says the CRD contributed funding for the study and the information will help them improve the situation.
"Of course it's upsetting to hear, but we'll continue to work with groups like Transport Canada, which is responsible for these issues, and other industry partners to make sure that, not only do we not top the list, but that we're not even on the list," says Thornton-Joe.
The Pollution Tracker is part of the Ocean Wise program. They say the data doesn't suggest the water is unsafe for humans. It's meant to act as a baseline to measure future improvements. Thornton-Joe says that baseline is needed so "we know what needs improving, where it needs improving, and how we can be improving."
Even if "upsetting," the results are not a surprise. Thornton-Joe says it speaks to the harbour's long industrial history and its shallow, slow moving water.