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

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.

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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.

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

“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.

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“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.