Repairs on a broken sewer main in Vancouver’s Olympic Village continued on Friday morning.
Lorne Carter with Metro Vancouver said officials weren’t yet sure how much sewage was released from the pipe, which runs under 2nd and 1st avenues at Columbia Street. The leak started at about 5 a.m. on Thursday and the regional district was notified around 8 a.m.
Carter added that the pipe has now been isolated and shut off so crews are in the clean-up stage.
The leak was contained to the block with some overland flooding into a neighbouring building and the storm drain that goes into an open water feature in Hinge Park.
“There is a lot of factors that dictate how quickly the sewage could dissipate,” Carter said regarding the sewage that spilled into the creek.
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“It’s going to be very difficult to figure out how much flow actually came out.”
Carter added that the sewage pipe was constructed in 2000 and it is possible the break came from a defective piece.
The Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival, scheduled for this weekend, will go ahead as scheduled, officials confirmed.
Everyone should take precautions if boating in False Creek, according to Dr. Michael Schwandt with Vancouver Coastal Health, including washing their hands, showering thoroughly and wearing protective clothing and gear.
“Now that the leak is contained, we have been working with the City of Vancouver to flush fresh water through Hinge Park. This involves adding more water to the wetlands to continue to improve the water quality until it increases to an acceptable level,” Metro Vancouver said in a statement on Friday.
“The water is being dechlorinated before it enters the creek.”
In a statement, Vancouver Coastal Health Public Health said members of the public should not go in or near raw sewage.
An environmental health officer is onsite to assess potential health impacts and the affected area has been cordoned off, including Habitat Island.
No Public Health-inspected facilities such as restaurants have been found to be contaminated, according to VCH.
“Primary contact recreational water activities (e.g. swimming) are not recommended in False Creek at any time. Secondary contact activities (e.g. boating) can proceed. In short, a high degree of contamination is always assumed in False Creek,” the statement read.
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