Preliminary test results suggest there’s no risk to swimmers in the Gorge after reports of milky water in a creek that flows into the waterway, the City of Victoria said Friday.
Based on preliminary test results from the CRD of water samples from Cecelia Creek, Island Health determined there was no need to close beaches, including the Banfield Park dock, the city said in a statement.
No hydrocarbons were detected in the testing, Island Health said in a statement.
Concentrations of metals, including copper and zinc, appeared to be elevated in a July 10 sample, but those concentrations returned to typical levels in a July 17 sample, Island Health said.
Exposure to metals at the July 17 concentrations does not pose a risk to human health when swimming, it said.
More analysis of the test results is expected, including whether there is any risk to aquatic life, the CRD said.
The city had received multiple reports of a white substance in Cecelia Creek since early July, spokesperson Colleen Mycroft said.
No new spills have been reported since Tuesday. An investigation continues to determine the source of the spill, Mycroft said.
Investigators are lifting manhole covers to visually inspect the flow of water, visiting businesses in the area and analyzing water-use data, she said.
The District of Saanich said it’s also investigating, because some of its underground system feeds into pipes that flow into Cecelia Creek.
Earlier in the week, the City of Victoria said it was investigating allegations on social media that a semi-industrial operation in the Burnside-Gorge area has dumped close to one million litres of “chemically altered water” with high bromine and heavy-metal concentrations as well as chemicals into a nearby storm drain.
The Reddit poster, who said they work at the company in question, suggested milky water in Cecelia Creek was connected to the company.
The city is not confirming any of the allegations on Reddit are true, Mycroft said.
