Multiple investigations are underway into potential pollution in Cecilia Creek and the Gorge Waterway after an anonymous accusation was levelled this week about a local business dumping wastewater in Greater Victoria's waterways.
On Wednesday (July 15) an anonymous Reddit user on the r/VictoriaBC forum wrote that they worked at a "semi-industrial" site in the Burnside-Gorge area, and claimed the workplace had dumped close to one million litres of "chemically altered water" and various chemicals down a storm drain outside of the workplace.
The post said the water contained large bromine and heavy metal concentrations, and "highly concentrated hydrochloride acid" and petroleum solvents were also dumped, all of which can be harmful to humans, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Today, we were pouring waste liquid which contained thousands of tiny styrofoam pellets/threads mixed with oil products into it which feels all sorts of illegal as well as being unethical as we have a creek only a block or two away from us," noted the user.
The Reddit post, which Black Press Media obtained, has since been deleted.
A photo the user shared at the time showed a thick, off-white substance sitting in a storm drain. They also referenced a photo posted on X on July 8 of Cecilia Creek, which flows to the Gorge, turned almost completely white. The Reddit poster claimed that "it was most likely us as well."
The Capital Regional District (CRD) said it has been made aware of the post, and, if proven true, the perpetrator would be in violation of the Federal Fisheries Act, the B.C. Environmental Management Act, as well as the City of Victoria Sanitary Sewer and Stormwater Utilities Bylaw.
After the first photo was posted on X earlier this month, the City of Victoria sent letters to a number of businesses in the area, listing prohibited wastes and penalties for discharging prohibited substances in the city's stormwater infrastructure.
"Over decades, there have been significant efforts to restore and remediate this ecological area to support fish and wildlife, and allow for safe recreational use of the waterway," the letter reads. "Any harmful substances that enter the stormwater system can damage and degrade this important ecological habitat."
The city said anyone found discharging prohibited substances, which include drywall washwater and paint washwater, may be subject to fines up to $1,000 per day, and that doesn't include penalties from other governments and government agencies.
William Doyle, acting director of engineering and public works for the city, said the CRD and Island Health performed tests of the water in Cecilia Creek after July 8. Results are expected soon. He also said the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is now investigating the second accusation.
"We do not have information that would suggest a cause for alarm. At this time, we're working closely with our partners to verify and pursue all suggestions that have been put forward, and if that changes, we will return to them publicly," said Doyle.
Because the source of the alleged pollution is currently unknown, the City of Victoria and the District of Saanich are working with the province, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Island Health.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change said in an email statement to Black Press Media that they are working with the city to determine the source and any potential environmental impacts, and ministry staff are on site.
"The province takes all spills seriously, and we have strong protections in place to minimize impacts to the environment and communities," the statement reads.
Island Health said it is aware of the incident and looking into it.
"This is obviously very concerning," noted a statement from the Gorge Waterway Action Society, a charity that aims to preserve and enhance the Gorge Waterway. "Whatever you pour into a storm drain is highly likely to end up in a waterway. The Gorge has been through many cycles of degradation, followed by clean-up, followed by degradation. The clean-up of the Gorge over the past few decades is an ongoing success story."
They said they encourage any employee or person who witnesses any type of waste water being poured into a storm drain to report it to the CRD and the individual municipality.
