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

The sailboat, Achiever, docks for the evening.

Achiever at rest and at work

Check out these images of Raincoast’s research vessel Achiever ‘at rest and at work’ recently taken by our Field Station manager Doug Brown. The ‘at rest’ shot is the boat tied up at the Raincoast Field Station.
A seagull flying through a clear blue sky.

Raincoast at the World Seabird Conference

By Caroline Fox The first ever World Seabird Conference was held last week in Victoria (September 7-11, 2010). Over 800 participants from over 40 countries gathered…
A wolf looks through the grass in BC

Coin series dedication laudable

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Heavy equipment lays an oil pipe in the ground

Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline not worth the gamble

Spills from Enbridge operations in the United States illustrate the risks of oil pipelines and tanker traffic to British Columbia’s marine and terrestrial environments, as well as First Nations and rural communities.
Pipeline, above ground, spanning from close-up to the horizon.

Enbridge pipeline record not worth the risk

By Chris Genovali, Special to the Vancouver Province The Enbridge Pipeline company’s operations in the U.S. should be of particular interest to BC as they relate to the Northern Gateway project.
A man with a camera in front of a large tree.

Humpback Out Back

Raincoast’s Doug Brown, photographer extraordinaire, recently took this amazing shot of a humpback whale within sight of our British Columbia central coast field station.
A woman running in a marathon in front of a crowd.

Raincoast’s Salmon Run

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Fish farms on the BC coast threaten wild salmon.

Proposed Canadian Organic Aquaculture Standard opposed by over 40 North American organizations

Over 40 organizations from across Canada and the U.S., including Raincoast, have submitted a joint letter to the General Standards Board opposing proposed organic standards that allow antibiotic and chemical treatments of farmed fish.