Sewage flows into False Creek after main breaks in Vancouver
Posted June 20, 2024 8:58 am.
Last Updated June 20, 2024 10:57 pm.
Metro Vancouver Regional District crews are in Vancouver Thursday morning after a sewer main broke, spewing effluent onto a street and into False Creek.
About six to eight inches of effluent was pooling on Columbia Street near West 2nd Avenue in the city’s Olympic Village neighbourhood just before 6 a.m.
Just after 9:30 a.m., Metro Vancouver stated the leak had been “contained.” The pooling water had significantly reduced by 10 a.m.
A Metro Vancouver spokesperson told CityNews the regional district confirmed the sewage water had made its way into False Creek, however, they could not confirm the exact volume.
Metro Vancouver said traffic in the area will be impacted as repairs take place in the area. “Thank you for your patience as we resolve the issue,” it said.
In an update after 11 a.m., the district shared that “vacuum trucks are visiting the site to support cleanup work. Because the infrastructure is buried, it will take us time to find the source of the leak, but once found it will be repaired.”
In a statement to CityNews, the City of Vancouver said Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) has been advised of the sewage break, and the Vancouver Police Department is also on-site helping the district with road closures.
“We are having water samples collected at False Creek and are following all environmental protocols. We’re in communication with Vancouver Coastal Health and are working to get them sampling info ASAP,” the MVRD said.
Vancouver Coastal Health is urging people to not go near or in the raw sewage.
“A VCH Environmental Health Officer is onsite to assess potential health impacts, and the affected area has been cordoned off, including Habitat Island,” the health authority added.
“No Public Health-inspected facilities such as restaurants have been found to be contaminated.
“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.
“Follow-up sampling and tests are being performed for the water at various sites in the False Creek area near the spill by Metro Vancouver.”
The regional district will be providing further updates on the situation Thursday.
Listen live to CityNews 1130 every 10 minutes on the ones for traffic updates. You can also follow us on X @CityNewsTraffic and subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
