City of Abbotsford wraps up Stoney Creek cleanup after chemical spill

The City of Abbotsford says it’s winding down the cleanup of a mess caused by firefighting foam that spilled last week into Stoney Creek waters.

On July 4, the city announced it had begun working to contain and remediate the worst effects of an accidental spill from a disconnected hose that ran into a storm drain and, ultimately, the waterway.

The city says that process is now almost complete following “positive water sampling and environmental assesments.”

Earlier this week, the city said it had removed 1,048 deceased fish from Stoney Creek and moved another 1,198 to nearby fresh water.

In a release Friday, Abbotsford officials said, “A total of 1,448 live fish were collected and moved to fresh water, and 922 deceased fish were removed. Up to 300 fish were also salvaged from an unimpacted upstream portion of Stoney Creek where they were stranded due to seasonal low water levels and relocated to Clayburn Creek.”

After diluting concentrations of the foam and consulting with environmental professionals, the city says it and First Nations partners are now prepared to reopen Bateman Park “in the coming days.”

“Comprehensive testing and analysis of surface water samples taken July 4 and 5 by GHD environmental consultants indicate chemical concentrations were below detection limits and had negligible risk to aquatic life in Stoney Creek. The assessment further determined that the loss of fish was not due to chemical contamination from the foam, but rather the short-term physical effects and foaming of the material, which limited the fish’s ability to get oxygen,” the city said.

Abbotsford Fire Chief Erick Peterson told CityNews last week that the department is investigating the cause of the spill.

He says the foam is a common suppressant used by firefighters everywhere.

“We use it to ‘make water wetter’ — is what we use to describe it. It allows [water] to penetrate and fight fire more effectively, and usually it’s in a concentration that is watered down. It’s watered down typically — used in percentages of one to three per cent. And what it appears is that a concentration of firefighting foam went into the storm sewer, and not just the watered-down or diluted firefighting foam,” said Peterson.

The city said Friday it will continue to investigate and adjust procedures to safeguard against a similar spill ever happening again.