It’s three weeks after a diesel fuel spill near the Seabird Island community, and there’s no end in sight for water testing and sampling.
A recent notice from the Sq’éwqel community indicated water sampling and testing would “continue indefinitely” after an incident on March 1 in which a VIA passenger train collided with debris, damaging the fuel tank and causing the spill of a significant amount of fuel.
Environmental cleanup work and water shipments began immediately. Six monitoring wells were drilled, and as of press time, no hydrocarbons have been reported in the water. The presence of hydrocarbons would be toxic and are usually associated with fuel or oil spills.
No one was hurt in the March 1 crash; including crew members, there were 138 people aboard the damaged train. Fourteen homes along the train tracks east of Agassiz had the potential to have their water supplies affected by the fuel spill; to date, all wells have tested clean. As a precaution, Canada Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Rail delivered water to the affected homes while a water advisory was in effect.
Anyone with immediate concerns should contact Seabird Island emergency preparedness coordinator Danika Snook at 604-202-0834.