Oil-heating fuels have leaked from homes and polluted Greater Victoria waterways for the second time in as many weeks.
The most recent incident happened in Saanich, where the district said a substantial amount of the fuel leaked into Swan Lake on Tuesday (Jan. 30).
Crews traced contaminants to a leaking oil furnace at a home in the 3800-block of Swan Lake Road after getting word about a hydrocarbon spill in the lake’s marsh area.
The district said it’ll take time to clean up what it called a substantial amount of product in the marsh. A siphon dam has been installed at the leaking property and containment booms have been placed in the marsh area.
Saanich, the province and the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary Society have been in contact regarding the spill.
The leaking home’s owner has been notified and will be working with their insurance to get resources to support the clean-up efforts, the district said.
The Swan Lake incident comes after a home’s oil tank leaked into the Gorge Waterway earlier in January. Multiple communities and other agencies worked together to curb the damage from that spill, which officials said didn’t lead to reports of any harm to wildlife or other significant negative effects.
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