The City of Richmond will be re-opening the beaches at Garry Point Park today, after they were closed last week due to a diesel leak in Steveston Harbour.
The city tweeted on Monday morning that it was ready to open the beaches once more to the public, following the leak.
The Richmond News reported on the weekend how the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) and Steveston Harbour Authority (SHA) found and stopped the source of a "significant diesel leak" in the harbour.
Leak came from the engine room in a Steveston Harbour vessel
The leak had come from a vessel in the area, where a line in the engine room was spilling diesel into the vessel's bilge "at a fast rate," said Michelle Imbeau, CCG spokesperson. The bilge is the lowest inner part of a ship designed to collect excess water.
CCG and SHA found the vessel on Friday stopped more pollutants from entering the water by turning off and removing the bilge pump, which was pumping excess water — and leaked diesel — into the harbour.
According to Imbeau, CCG received a report of a diesel smell and sheen near Garry Point Park around 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 10.
During Thursday and Friday, CCG cleaned up more than 100 litres of spilled diesel with absorbent pads and booms.
Beaches at Garry Point Park were closed and Richmondites were advised to stay back from shorelines, keep pets away from the water, and avoid swimming.
