Firefighting foam being accidentally released from a disconnected hose led to a significant spill that has greatly impacted the Stoney Creek Trail area.
The City of Abbotsford stated that the spill entered a storm drain and then the waterway leading to a large amount of foam appearing.
Trail users first observed the foam on Wednesday (July 3) evening, with onlookers stating that the pollution has led to the death of much of the fauna and fish in the area.
Dave Rutherford, who compiles a monthly newsletter on the trail and frequents the area, said he heard reports of the foam appearing at around 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
"There has been a catastrophic event in our creek," he stated in an email. "It was reported to me around 7 p.m. yesterday that a foaming detergent-like substance entered the creek somewhere upstream of the park. It has caused a major fish kill. I believe that both provincial and federal government agencies have been made aware of the situation. It’s summer break time and it seems some key people at PEP and the DFO are out of town."
The News also received photos from several other concerned trail users, who expressed concern for the foam and the damage it has caused.
The City of Abbotsford stated that they are working closely with both the Ministry of Environment and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to ensure the spill impacting Stoney Creek is immediately contained and remediated.
"The City takes this incident very seriously and is taking steps to ensure that this cannot happen again," said the city's communications and public relations manager Aletta Vanderhyden. "Public access to the creek has been restricted at the site, as vacuum and flush trucks are working on the storm system to remove remaining residue. Signage and caution tape have been put up and staff are onsite notifying people walking in the area. Residents are asked to please stay away from the area while clean-up crews are working and keep pets away."
Stoney Creek Trail is an off-leash park located just off of Bateman Road in east Abbotsford.
A similar incident occurred in April 2021 when the the Sage Strata Complex on Blauson Boulevard hired a company that used laundry detergent to remove moss from the complex's townhouse units. That led to foam filling up the nearby Clayburn Creek. The company was given an $8,900 penalty for using detergent due to the risk it created on the surrounding environment.
For more information, visit stoneycreektrail.ca.