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
BREAKING Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Six Canadian children repatriated from detention in Syria, Global Affairs Canada says
The Global Affairs Department says six Canadian children have been repatriated from detention in northeastern Syria.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
TikTok sues to block prospective U.S. app ban
TikTok sued Tuesday to block a U.S. law that could force a nationwide ban of the popular app, following through on legal threats the company issued after President Joe Biden signed the legislation last month.