Sewage no longer leaking into Capilano River, but investigation just beginning: province

Putrid, raw sewage has stopped leaking into the North Shore's Capilano River, though officials say multiple investigations into the spill and any resulting damage from the week-long leak are only getting started.

B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said Monday the government is assessing the leak to understand how it started, how the rivercan be cleaned and how a similar spill might be prevented.

"It's something government takes very, very seriously," Farnworth said at a news conference.

"[An analysis is to] make sure the cleanup is done and quickly and efficiently as possible, that there's as little damage as possible to fish stocks ...and also to see if there's additional steps to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again."

WATCH |Crews clean up sewage spill at Capilano River

Crews clean up sewage spill at Capilano River

1 year ago

Duration 1:01

B.C.'s Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth confirms the province is in contact with the Squamish First Nation, after it reported a sewage leak in the popular Capilano River last week. Crews were on site with sandbags and pumps. The cause of the leak is not yet confirmed.

TheSquamish Nation said the leak stopped by mid-morning Monday, roughly aweek after it begansending an unknown amount of waste into the waterway. The nation, whose territories encompass much of North Vancouver, has warned the public to stay away fromtheriver, typically a popular fishing and swimming spot,as officials try tograsp whether any long-term damage was done.

The province first heard of the leak on March 6, though the spill was only made public after the nation was informed onFriday.

"You walk by the area ... the stench is pretty strong," Squamish Nation elected Coun. Wilson Williams said in an interview Monday.

"It's very concerning."

The sewage was coming froma storm drain outfall pipe from a private propertynear Fullerton Avenue in West Vancouver, according to the province though its exact source hasn't been confirmed, and it's unclear how much waste got into the water.

Vancouver-basedWynford Property Management, whichrepresentsthe property owner, went to the site Sunday with a provincial environment response officer and representatives from the Squamish Nation and District of North Vancouver.

The province said Wynfordtook action to "mitigate" the spill.Any residual waste left Monday was being "diverted for disposal," the nation said.

Water samples from around the outfall pipe were delivered to a local lab for analysis, with samples from the nearby Squamish Nation reserve to be analyzed onMonday.

Metro Vancouver, which manages the region's water supply, deferred questions from CBC News to the ministry, as did the District of North Vancouver.

The Capilano River flows through the Coast Mountains in Metro Vancouverand, at a high point, feeds the Capilano Reservoir at the Cleveland Damoneof three reservoirs that provide drinking water to the Metro Vancouver region.

Fullerton Avenue is around two kilometres from wherethe river empties into the Burrard Inlet near Ambleside Park and the Lions Gate Bridge.

The river also contains a large salmon hatchery run by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. A representative of the hatchery said in an email that the leak had been reported to the department's fish and fish habitat protection program.

LISTEN | Squamish Nation Elected Coun. Wilson Williams speaks about the spill: