A spill that contaminated Bowker Creek early last week has been traced to Victoria’s Jubilee neighbourhood.
City of Victoria media spokesperson Colleen Mycroft told the Oak Bay News that diesel fuel from senior-living facility Amica Jubilee House made its way into nearby storm drains before entering the waterway, which runs though Saanich and Victoria before flowing into Oak Bay.
Mycroft explained crews are on-site, maintaining booms, while others are cleaning the drains the fuel flowed through. The leak has been contained, she added, and no further spills have been identified.
"The city is focused on cleaning affected underground pipes and supporting clean-up efforts in portions of the creek in Oak Bay," said the spokesperson. “The property owners are cooperating with all authorities and taking steps to remediate the spill."
The leak was first identified downstream from Amica Jubilee House in Oak Bay's stretch of the waterway, near the Oak Bay Rec Centre on Bee Street, where district workers leapt into action.
“On the morning of Tuesday, July 8, crews responded, deploying booms to mitigate further spread while working in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment," the district said in social media post. "Oak Bay is proud of the Oak Bay Fire Department and Oak Bay Public Works for their prompt response to reports of a substance in Bowker Creek."
A vacuum truck was also sent to the scene.
Despite Oak Bay's clean-up efforts, the public began to notice the creek's muddied appearance last week – and its smell.
In an email to the Oak Bay News on July 8, one man said the contaminant “is accompanied by a strong odour similar to creosote.”
“To me, it smelled like paint thinner, but other people thought it smelled like gasoline or diesel,” Oak Bay local Ivan said on July 9.
The man, who lives in an apartment building overlooking the Bee Street stretch of Bowker Creek, was at the waterway before municipal workers arrived on Tuesday, and he explained the spill's the appearance then wasn't pretty.
“It was a really slimy, ugly, oily mess,” he said. “On the other side, where it trickles, you could see the oily sheen – you know, the multicolours of oil.”
Ivan added that he is concerned about the effect the contaminant will have on the wildlife that call Bowker Creek home.
“There are quite a few fish,” he said. “Today, now that we can see through the water again, I haven’t seen any of them yet this morning, and there’s usually lots of them around.”
Barbara, who lives in the same building as Ivan, had previously seen ducks bobbing up and down the creek. Now she’s worried about their well-being.
“I don’t know if they’re going to handle all this,” she said.
The Oak Bay News has reached out to Amica Jubilee House for comment.
