Esquimalt workers responded Monday to what was described as a petrochemical spill next to the Gorge waterway, near the foot of Sioux Place and Kinsmen Gorge Park.
The type and volume of the substance involved are not yet known, said Jeff Miller, Esquimalt’s director of engineering and public works. The substance, found in Gorge Creek, could have originated from a source east of Tillicum Road.
“We’ve taken samples to see if we can get an analysis of it and hopefully that will help us determine where the source is,” Miller said.
He said workers noticed the spill Monday morning and by the afternoon had confined it to the creek.
“Approximately 9:30, our crews noticed a substance on the creek and went in and investigated, determined it was a petrochemical spill and we started operations to contain it and to start to remediate the creek.
“You contain and then you try to clean up.”
Booms and absorbent tiles are being used to help keep the spill in check. Miller said he is confident the substance has been more than 90 per cent contained.
Dorothy Chambers, who belongs to a number of environmental groups, said she was contacted about the spill by the Capital Regional District because of her familiarity with spawning coho salmon in the region.
“This is the spawning time,” said Chambers, a Colquitz River steward. “So they’re in the Gorge waterway.”
Also of concern is a nearby artificial reef for Olympia oysters, she said.
Chambers visited the site and said she did not think the materials being used to collect the substance were adequate, calling them “Band-Aids.” She said she saw signs of the substance beyond the creek.
Miller said it could take two and a half weeks to absorb all the material. “We want to make sure we get it all, so we’ll leave the booms in place for that amount of time and on a daily basis go back and remove the absorbent tiles that are being basically filled up and put new ones on.”
He said the SPCA’s Wild Animal Rehabilitation Society has been contacted in case birds are found with oil on them.
Miller said it’s possible the spill originated from a leaky tank or from something deposited in a storm drain.
“I think our message we want to get to the public is storm drains are for storm water, not for disposal of materials such as this.”
He said if the flow continues, a tank would be a more likely source than something being dumped in the storm drain.
