Advertisement

Cleanup vessel deployed to False Creek, source of mystery sheen remains unclear

Oily material seen floating on in False Creek near the False Creek Rowing Club on Wednesday.
Oily material seen floating on in False Creek near the False Creek Rowing Club on Wednesday. Cathy Marr

A marine cleanup vessel has been deployed to Vancouver’s False Creek, as officials work to discover the source of an oily sheen on the water.

The sheen was first spotted on Tuesday, following heavy rain. On Thursday, spill cleanup contractor Western Canada Marine Response Corp. said it had deployed the vessel Texada Sentinel to False Creek in response.

Click to play video: 'Tests confirm sewage leak into Capilano River'
Tests confirm sewage leak into Capilano River

In an email, the Canadian Coast Guard said it was “aggressively” working with the province and the City of Vancouver to find the source of the spill, but that it remained unclear where the material was coming from.

Story continues below advertisement

The coast guard is looking into potentially marine-based sources, while the province and city are looking at land-based sources, including sewer outflows.

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“We have a Marine Environmental Hazard Response team working on the water again today, and have also hired additional responders to support recovery of marine pollution on the water,” the coast guard said.

Click to play video: 'Up to 100 litres of oil spilled near English Bay'
Up to 100 litres of oil spilled near English Bay

“Crews are working throughout the False Creek area but are focused on recovering marine pollution in areas with higher concentrations of product near Spruce Harbour Marina, Heather Civic Marina, and Alder Bay.”

The coast guard added it was prepared to do a “large-scale response” if required.

While officials said they don’t believe the pollution is a safety issue, they’re asking people to avoid any patches of fuel slick in the area.

Advertisement

Sponsored content

AdChoices