Abbotsford creek cleanup complete after firefighting foam spill, city says

The City of Abbotsford says cleanup efforts are now complete after firefighting foam spilled into a local creek last week. (Stephanie Martin / Facebook)

The City of Abbotsford says cleanup efforts are now complete after firefighting foam spilled into a local creek last week — killing hundreds of fish.

The city shared an update in a news release Friday afternoon, saying it's winding down its "large-scale" environmental spill response at Stoney Creek after "positive results of surface water sampling and environmental assessments."

According to the city, the chemical spill happened the night of July 3, when the foam, called Phos-Chek, was accidentally released from a disconnected hose and into a storm drain and the waterway.

During response efforts, a total of 1,448 live fish were collected and moved to fresh water, while 922 dead fish were removed from the creek. The city added that another 300 fish were salvaged from an upstream portion of Stoney Creek that wasn't impacted by the spill — saying the fish were stranded due to seasonally low water levels and relocated to the nearby Clayburn Creek.

In the update, the city says water samples taken on July 4 and 5 indicate the chemical concentrations found in the creek were "below detection limits" and had "negligible risk to aquatic life".

"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 release reads.

The city goes on to say the firefighting foam concentrations have rapidly decreased over the past week through dilution, biodegradation and oxidization.

"Based on recommendations from the environmental professionals, the city with First Nations and government partners is discontinuing water sampling, fish salvage and water treatment," the city said.

The city added that it has started removing animal deterrents from the area and will be fully reopening public access at Bateman Park in "the coming days."

"We are grateful for the expertise and collaboration of our First Nations partners, the biologists and environmental experts for their careful and thorough assessment of the water in Stoney Creek," said Peter Sparanese, a manager with the City of Abbotsford, in a statement. "The safety of our environment, aquatic wildlife and our community remains our top priority, and we are grateful the test results show the creek and surrounding area is safe."

In an interview last week, Abbotsford Fire Chief Erick Peterson told CTV News his department is investigating to determine exactly how the foam was spilled in the first place.

He says while it's still under investigation, the spill appears to have happened during a routine changeover from one type of foam to another.

The city says it will continue to investigate the incident and adjust procedures to prevent a similar accident from happening in the future.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Kaija Jussinoja and Ian Holliday.