Oil and chemical spill tracking

Spills of oil and chemicals into freshwater and ocean environments have killed fish, degraded habitat, and led to closures of commercial, recreational, and Indigenous fisheries. Raincoast’s Healthy Waters Program is positioned to collect data at the scene of a spill and collaborate with various organizations and First Nations to understand the impact of a spill. 

Tracker will host a number of rugged analytical instruments, and enable the measurement of several contaminants in the field, including coliform bacteria, nutrients, metals, pesticides, and tracers of wastewater effluent.
Photo by Peter Ross.
Two sockeye salmon swimming in a river.
Photo by Fernando Lessa.

Spills happen

Spills originate from all manner of accidents. The 2005 train derailment that spilled caustic soda into the Cheakamus River that killed 500,000 fish, The 2015 spill of 3,000 L of Bunker C oil from the MV Marathassa into English Bay. The 2020 fire aboard the MV ZIM Kingston in Juan de Fuca Strait that resulted in the loss of 104 mixed cargo shipping containers into the ocean. Each and every accident is bad news, and threatens the health of fish and whales, and contributes to the degradation of their habitats.

Being prepared is key

Given the sudden and unpredictable nature of oil and chemical spills, our oil and chemical spill response work entails being agile and available for support to First Nations, government agencies, and industry during a major spill. We are developing science protocols, and acquiring sampling kits, field equipment, and safety gear, and are poised to deploy our team to the scene of a spill. 

Being prepared on all fronts is key to limiting the damage from a spill. We recognize that with spills, it’s not a matter of if, but when. Research and monitoring to confirm the origin of the spill, track the fate of the spilled product, and monitor the recovery of ecosystem components routinely fails to be a priority. We will deploy expert capacity where and when needed, and work to prevent harm to valued ecosystem components.

Two people working together to collect water samples in a farm field with the mountains in the background.
Photo by Alex Harris.
https://www.raincoast.org/reports/flood

Semá:th X̱ó:tsa (Sumas Lake) Floods of 2021

The catastrophic floods of late 2021 in southern British Columbia (Canada) and neighbouring Washington State (USA) destroyed homes, farms and businesses, with excess water spilling debris, animal carcasses and diesel fuel into historically productive fish habitat. 

We assembled a team to assess water quality in the former Semá:th X̱ó:tsa (Sumas Lake) area of the Fraser Valley over a seven-week period after the floods. We collected water samples from 11 surface water sites and four groundwater sites for comprehensive contaminant analysis and a subsequent risk-based evaluation. We measured 379 analytes (chemical components and bacteria), including 262 anthropogenic contaminants. We examined excess nutrients, metals, fecal coliform, hydrocarbons, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products, perfluorinated compounds, sucralose, and tire-related chemicals.

Read the report

Recent articles

A small fish swimming in a glass container.

Sea lice from salmon farms infect juvenile sockeye

Young sockeye salmon from the Fraser River are being infected with sea lice as they pass fish farms on their migration routes.
Two huskies laying down in the snow.

The bloody lesson of the Whistler sled dog slaughter

By Chris Genovali, The Guardian British Columbia’s premier has taken a strong line on this dog cull. But what about the routine horrors of trophy hunting in BC?
A brown bear is swimming in the water.

Concern over sled dogs should include all animals

As long as trophy hunts still exist, the province’s stance is hypocritical By Chris Genovali, Times Colonist The outrage over the killing of 100 sled dogs in Whistler is an important sign a significant number of people are still in touch with a clear sense of right and wrong…
underwater photo of sockeye salmon in BC river

The Sockeye Whisperer

Seaside Times February 2011 By Chris Genovali, Executive Director, Raincoast Conservation Foundation Raincoast Conservation Foundation biologist Michael Price is truly a local boy made good…
A woman wearing a black jacket.

Defending our killer whale legal victory

FISHERIES MINISTER APPEALING FEDERAL COURT’S KILLER WHALE RULING by Misty MacDuffee Wild Salmon Program biologist and killer whale advocate January 2011 Raincoast and our conservation partners recently won a major legal victory for British Columbia’s endangered and threatened resident killer whales. Led by lawyer Margot Venton at Ecojustice, we challenged the federal government’s lack of…
A woman wearing a black jacket.

Defending our killer whale legal victory

FISHERIES MINISTER APPEALING FEDERAL COURT’S KILLER WHALE RULING by Misty MacDuffee Wild Salmon Program biologist and killer whale advocate…
A man standing on a boat.

Winter in the Great Bear Rainforest

Check out these images of winter in the Great Bear Rainforest on BC’s central coast taken by Raincoast Field Station Manager and photographer Doug Brown…
A group of wolves playing with each other.

Help Raincoast end the trophy hunt

IMAGINE if your conservation investment could go directly to protecting the lives of wild animals, now and forever. In 2005, our supporters helped us purchase a vast hunting territory and end commercial trophy hunting in an area three times the size of Yellowstone National Park….