Coast guard called in as diesel spill closes Richmond beaches
Beaches at Richmond's Garry Point Park are closed after the Canadian Coast Guard investigated and tried to clean up a recent diesel spill.
According to a spokesperson, the coast guard was first informed of the spill on Wednesday evening around 8:15 when it "received a report of a diesel smell and sheen," an email to CTV News says, adding it got dark before they could find out the source of the spill.
The next day, CCG crews found "a large patch of recoverable product on the water," the spokesperson's email continued, adding they "deployed absorbent pads and recovered an estimated 100 litres of pollutants." Those pollutants were primarily but not exclusively diesel fuel. However, the source was still not found despite crews checking in with the owners of multiple boats and ships in the area.
On Friday, the vessel was located and the cause identified.
"There was a line in the engine room of a vessel that was spilling product into the bilge area at a fast rate. The CCG crew removed the bilge pump and turned it off, thereby stopping additional pollutants from entering the water," the emailed statement says.
The City of Richmond announced the closure of the popular beaches on Friday, urging residents to stay back from the shoreline and out of the water.
The Steveston Harbour Authority and the CCG will monitor the situation over the weekend and the owner of the vessel has been instructed to clean the bilge by Monday, the statement from the CCG concludes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.