It’s still unclear how much sewage entered the Capilano River after a leak last week, near Fullerton Avenue in West Vancouver.
The District of North Vancouver reported the sewage was leaving a private property and entering the river through a storm drain outfall pipe.
On Sunday, Squamish First Nation told Global News the raw sewage leak is extremely concerning and could have been happening for an extended period of time.
“We found out a few days ago, yet it was said to be discovered around seven days ago,” said Wilson Williams, Squamish First Nation elected councillor.
“Being here the past couple of days, it’s evident this could have been happening for a long sustained period of time.
“We are in a dire state for this leakage to stop. The smell… it was unbearable to be down by the river for even a few minutes.”
The state of the river on Sunday showed it was quite evident that the sewage is having an impact on the environment, the Squamish First Nation councillor said.
“It’s clearly evident. You can see the stain on the rocks and there is a black cloud in the water,” he said.
“Where the leakage is coming down, it looks like it’s coming from the residence up above. It will be looked at more closely. We are not looking to direct blame, we are looking to stop the leakage and deal with things after that.”
The surrounding area has many public usages, including nearby Ambleside Beach, but more importantly, the Squamish First Nation said the area is used for ceremonies.
“All the users with their families and pets enjoy the water, but for us, in the Squamish Nation, we use it for ceremony, and we fish year round and our families use this water daily,” Williams said.
“We need to know how much damage has been done. It is very concerning.”
Williams said within the last couple of weeks, the Capilano River Hatchery along with the Nation released some salmon fry into the river.
The salmon’s path to the ocean is directly through the sewage leak.
A Squamish Nation’s Ta na wa Yúus ta Stitúyntsam̓ Rights & Title official, Kathleen Edwards, said they are eagerly awaiting water test results and are preparing for bad news.
“Samples have been collected by the B.C. Ministry of Environment. We are taking all the steps just in case it’s the worst case scenario,” Edwards said.
“Any introduction into the waterway is affecting the nation in all kinds of ways: ecological, human health risks, spiritual and emotional for the people. It’s impacting our rights and title, which is constitutionally protected.”
Staff with the environment minister were at the river collecting water samples Friday.
In an email, ministry spokesperson David Karn said the exact source of the leak had not been determined, and that an investigation into the incident was ongoing.
The ministry notified relevant agencies and stakeholders, and environmental response officers along with representatives from the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority and District of West Vancouver had been deployed.
Results from the water samples are expected to be released in the coming days.
—- With files from Simon Little