http://www.theprovince.com/news/False+Creek+spill+fuels+more+questions+than+answers/11137995/story.html
[images in on-line article]
False Creek oil spill fuels more questions than answers
By Keven Drews, The Canadian Press June 16, 2015
Hours after the stink of diesel permeated Vancouver's False Creek Monday
and closed sections of a seawall to pedestrians, emergency officials
could confirm little more than that a spill had taken place.
Its source and extent remained unknown by mid-afternoon, although
officials estimated it may have come from one boat, been as little as 30
litres or as much as 5,000 litres, and the cleanup was largely over.
Jeff Brady, a Canadian Coast Guard pollution response officer, said
investigators focused on one vessel after an alarm on an inspector's
personal air monitor went off earlier in the day.
He said firefighters trained in hazardous materials then tried to clean
out the boat's engine space for government inspectors.
"Unfortunately, at this time, we can't give any solid numbers on how
much has spilled," he said.
"Once Transport Canada finishes its inspection and identifies the
source, we might be able to quantify or calculate how much was in the
tank prior to the last time it was used and how much is left in the tank
now."
The coast guard alerted the city to the spill around 2:30 a.m. Monday. A
containment boom was set up near Granville Island and officials began
skimming the water and using absorbent pads to clean up the fuel.
The city closed sections of the seawall walkway for hours and advised
nearby residents to close their windows and turn off their air conditioning.
Vancouver Coastal Health also asked boaters and swimmers to stay away
from the area and paddlers and swimmers in other areas to watch for any
oily sheen.
Sadhu Johnston, the deputy city manager, said early in the day that
between 30 and 1,000 litres of diesel had spilled into False Creek,
apparently from a boat.
Brady said later that based on his personal experience no more than
5,000 litres had spilled, although he couldn't provide a solid figure.
The fuel was likely diesel because of its smell and appearance, he noted.
Investigators ruled out a land-based source of the spill in the morning,
after firefighters examined storm drains, he said. Officials still had
to rule out possible leaks from pipelines under the dock and in the area.
Environment Canada was searching the area but had not reported any
issues with wildlife.
The coast guard believed it had boomed off the right area, the cleanup
was largely over and was shifting towards inspection, he said, adding
officials would remain in the area throughout the night to ensure there
was not another release of diesel.
"This is a very light product that's going to be evaporating, especially
with a nice wind and the hot weather that we have today," he said.
Johnston said communication between the city and the coast guard had
improved since a spill earlier this year, when a container ship leaked
more than 2,500 litres of oil into English Bay.
"We're still working on our notification protocol, but it's gotten a lot
better," Johnston said. "Clearly, the coast guard has recognized the
importance of collaborating and communicating with the municipality. So
we really appreciate that. And now we want to refine that."
PROVINCE PLANS SPILL-RESPONSE TEAM
Meanwhile, the province's environment minister said B.C. is unprepared
for a major land-based, hazardous-material spill because current rules
and regulations are outdated — and she says that needs to change.
Mary Polak told reporters Monday the government is working on ways to
create a quicker, more co-ordinated response to land-based spills.
"Our experience with smaller spills and near misses shows the province
is not prepared for a major spill," she said. "Our goal is to have a
world-leading spill regime in place, and we recognize we're not there yet."
The plans include creating an organization that will be able to
immediately respond to any spill with trained workers and proper equipment.
The minister said the provincially certified, industry-funded
organization will be able to start containing and co-ordinating cleanup
of a spill quicker than current crews.
Polak compared the team to West Coast Marine Response Organization, an
agency contracted by the federal government to contain and clean up
marine spills.
"That's the kind of idea that we are looking at. You have one body that
can be contacted, that can be put into place, taking action even before
we've identified who's responsible for a spill," she said.
In April, a 2,700-litre bunker fuel spill from a grain carrier soiled
Vancouver-area beaches.
The coast guard and cleanup firms were heavily criticized for a slow
response to the spill by local and provincial politicians.
Premier Christy Clark said that had the province been the lead agency in
the operation, it could have done a much better job.
Clark demanded changes in spill response and called for the federal
government to "step up" to its responsibilities.
The province is also creating new legislation, requiring companies
dealing with hazardous materials to prove they have plans in place to
manage and respond to land-based spills.
The new rules and regulations will work alongside plans already in place
for projects such as Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline expansion,
Polak said.
The goal, she added, is to fill any gaps in existing federal and
provincial legislation, especially co-ordinating responses to spills.
Michael Davies, senior director of Kinder Morgan Canada, said in a news
release the company "is committed to a polluter-pay, world-class,
land-based and marine-spill response regime."
"Trans Mountain is focused on preventing incidents before they happen,
but believes in being able to respond and clean up our own spills,"
Davies said.
He added that Kinder Morgan worked with the province before Monday's
announcement and he is looking forward to continuing that work as the
new program is implemented.
The government is expected to introduce the legislation next spring and
the new spill-response regime is expected to be in place by 2017.
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