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
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.