Photo taken at 7:15 p.m. two and a half hours after it was reported to the City of Coquitlam.
A spill in Hoy Creek was reported to the City on Monday, August 16. Thanks to a resident who posted information on a Facebook community group, the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society was alerted. A volunteer of the Society reported it to the government and this photo was taken at 7:15 pm. This is the inflow area off Walton Ave east of Walton School on Hoy Trail.
On Tuesday, August 17, the City of Coquitlam provided the following update:
We received a report at 4:41 pm that Hoy Creek was running white and cloudy. Staff from both utilities and environment were immediately dispatched.
Staff believe the substance was paint. The boom at the Walton outfall was able to contain some of the substance, but some of it settled onto the bottom of the creek at the Walton outfall and is still there today.
Unfortunately despite having three staff working on the response, they were not able to trace the spill. They did a thorough patrol through the catchment areas and couldn’t find any leads. There were also no traces left in the storm main.
They checked the hatchery and the water was clear and there were no signs of harmed fish at the outfall or downstream. We checked FlowLink and it looks like turbidity at the hatchery increased to about 12.0 NTU around 7:00 pm yesterday.
Staff will continue to look out for any potential sources (paint contractors, construction/renovation work, signs of spills into catch basins etc). It is also possible that the washout was on private property through an onsite drain or perimeter drainage. It would all tie into the storm main, but would be difficult to catch unless it was actively occurring.
This screen shot was taken via the Flowlink water monitoring system. The sensor is down beside the hatchery, quite a ways downstream from the spill.
Fish being held in the outside rearing pond were monitored after and no fish deaths were reported at the hatchery.
The Society would like to remind Coquitlam residents that storm drains lead directly to our waterways, and everyone should exercise caution when disposing of pollutants, which include chemicals used for cleaning hot tubs and pools, etc. Nothing but rainwater should go down storm drains.
If you have information related to this spill, or to report a spill in the creek click here.
CLICK HERE TO READ HOME TIPS FOR HEALTHY STREAMS
Photos taken on Aug. 18, two days after the spill. It was great to see fish swimming around in the same area.